Rawalpindi Developmen News : Funds for projects released

[Salman]

RAWALPINDI, Sept 26: Punjab government has released the first installment of funds for two mega projects — 6th Road Flyover and Pirwadhai Mor Flyover — in the garrison city.

The 6th Road Flyover on Benazir Bhutto Road is worth Rs1.017 billion and Pirwadhai Mor Flyover project is worth Rs1.6 billion on Peshawar Road.

Pirwadhai Mor Flyover project was prepared to ease the traffic over Peshawar Road.

Earlier, the provincial government wanted to construct underpass at Chur Chowk but later, it dropped the Rs520 million project because of reluctance on National Logistic Cell’s (NLC) part.

The provincial government was planning to launch the project in August 2010 but after reservations from NLC and other cantonment authorities, it delayed the project.

The NLC objected to the underpass and suggested to the provincial government to build a flyover at Pirwadhai Mor, instead of Chur Chowk. Failure of underpasses in Lahore, was quoted as an example.

A senior official of City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) told Dawn that for the first time, the Punjab Highway department managed to get Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report from Punjab Environment Protection Agency (Punjab-EPA) for Pirwadhai Mor Flyover.

“The EIA report on 6th Road Flyover still pending with Punjab-EPA and it would likely be completed without that report,” he said and added that the basic reason for getting the EIA report of Pirwadhai Mor is that the square was one of the main inter-section between Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” he said.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar said that the provincial government had released Rs200 million for 6th Road Flyover and Rs200 million for Pirwadhai Mor Flyover project.

He said that the remaining amount would be provided to the construction company soon. He said that the work on Pirwadhai Mor Flyover would start before Eidul Azha.