Rawalpindi’s long-promised parking solutions have made little progress, with multiple projects still stuck in paperwork and official briefings despite rising traffic congestion in the city.
The Punjab government has yet to approve the PC-I for the Fawara Chowk parking plaza, a project estimated to cost more than Rs. 3 billion. The structure currently consists of a basement, ground floor, and first floor, while two additional floors remain incomplete due to stalled approvals.
Officials said parking demand in commercial zones such as Saddar and inner-city markets has surged, making new facilities essential. The Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi had submitted a plan to build a five-story parking plaza on its former office land along Saddar Road.
The proposed plaza would span 14 kanals and 10 marlas and hold more than 1,600 cars and 2,000 motorcycles, but it still awaits approval and funding.
Plans for two more parking plazas — one at Banni Market near Banni Chowk and another in Commercial Market — have also failed to move forward due to financial constraints faced by the Municipal Corporation.
In cantonment areas, the situation is even worse, as no parking plaza exists at all. With commercial buildings lining main roads and no structured parking available, both cantonment boards and the Rawalpindi Development Authority have failed to ease the growing parking crisis.
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