Rawalpindi’s 5 Mega Projects Still Incomplete After Nearly Two Decades

Five major health, water supply, and road infrastructure projects in Rawalpindi remain incomplete even after nearly two decades, with their combined cost rising sharply from Rs. 75.5 billion to Rs. 342.904 billion.

The delayed schemes include the Mother and Child Hospital, Ghazi Barotha Water Channel, Leh Expressway, Rawalpindi Ring Road, Daducha Dam, Cherah Dam, and Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road.

The Mother and Child Hospital was launched on April 8, 2005, when former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz laid its foundation stone on 105 kanals of land. Initially estimated at Rs. 1.5 billion, the project received no funding between 2008 and 2018, while only Rs. 400 million was allocated in 2018-19.

Its cost later crossed Rs. 5 billion, but the facility remained incomplete. The project has now been upgraded to a 400-bed Children’s Hospital at a revised cost of Rs. 9.264 billion. However, only Rs. 494.402 million has been allocated in the current fiscal year, making its completion this year unlikely.

Rawalpindi’s major water supply projects have also faced long delays. The Ghazi Barotha Water Channel, planned to provide 200 million gallons per day in the first phase and another 300 MGD in the second phase to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, was originally estimated at Rs. 35 billion. Work on the project never started, and its cost has now increased to Rs. 170 billion.

The Daducha Dam Water Supply Project, launched in 2005 at Rs. 5 billion, has now reached Rs. 17 billion. It is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2027, and is expected to supply 35 MGD of additional water to the twin cities. Officials, however, have not confirmed whether the deadline will be met.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the Cherah Dam project last year. The scheme is expected to provide 28 MGD of additional water to Rawalpindi and Islamabad at an estimated cost of Rs. 55 billion. It also includes a Rs. 30 billion, 20-kilometer pipeline and a new water treatment plant at Rawal Dam. The project is still awaiting formal approval.

On the road infrastructure side, the Rawalpindi Ring Road, first conceived about 20 years ago, is finally nearing completion. Originally approved at Rs. 17 billion, the project is now being completed at Rs. 64.46 billion and is expected to become functional on August 14 this year.

The Leh Expressway, Sewerage and Flood Control project has seen no progress since it was suspended in 2008. The project was launched in 2007 at Rs. 17 billion, but its estimated cost has now climbed to Rs. 100 billion.

Meanwhile, the 28.4-kilometer Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road, a key defense route linked with Kotli and Rawalakot in Azad Kashmir, was approved by Ecnec on July 27, 2023, at a cost of Rs. 23.84 billion. Around Rs. 6.58 billion has been spent so far, but only one kilometer has been completed from the Kahuta side.

The projects highlight years of delays, repeated cost escalations, and slow execution on key public infrastructure schemes meant to improve healthcare, water supply, flood control, and road connectivity in Rawalpindi and the twin cities.