RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has faced financial constraints and scaled down the ambitious 168-kilometer-long Leh Expressway and Flood Channel project.
The project will now focus solely on laying sewerage trunks, as the RDA seeks an additional grant of Rs. 20 billion from the Punjab government to proceed.
The Leh Expressway and Flood Channel project, conceptualized over a decade ago, aimed to alleviate traffic congestion and prevent flooding in Nullah Leh during the monsoon season.
However, due to the lack of funds from both provincial and federal authorities, the vital project remains unrealized.
Initially estimated at Rs. 17 billion in 2007, the project was put on hold when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government assumed power in 2008.
Since then, no significant progress has been made, resulting in a substantial increase in the estimated cost.
The project’s current cost is believed to have exceeded Rs. 100 billion, excluding an additional Rs. 30 billion required for land acquisition.
In a letter sent by the RDA through the Secretary Housing Punjab, it was proposed to focus on constructing sewerage trunks in the first phase, covering a nine-kilometer stretch from New Katarian Bridge to Swan River along both sides of Nullah Leh.
This measure aims to address environmental pollution caused by open sewers while temporarily deferring other aspects of the project.
RDA Director General Muhammad Saif Anwar Jappa emphasized that securely diverting open sewage through the sewerage trunks would not only mitigate environmental pollution but also prevent flooding in Nullah Leh during the monsoon season.
To secure the necessary funding, the RDA has requested the housing secretary to consider incorporating the project into the Annual Development Programme if a supplementary grant cannot be obtained.
Source: Tribune
