RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is anticipated to commence the Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) project as he lays the foundation stone, a move that comes amid ongoing land acquisition processes.
The Rawalpindi Ring Road project, also known as R3, has undergone various stages of planning and execution.
The project’s main consultant has faced challenges in determining the optimal route connecting the motorway to G.T. Road at Sangjani.
During the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, 2 route options were considered for the R3 project.
Eventually, the work began on the 38.3-kilometer main carriageway, stretching from Baanth (N-5) to Thallian (M-2).
The former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, inaugurated the project in March 2022 at Thallian, with a contract worth Rs 22.8 billion awarded to the Frontier Works Organization (FWO).
Subsequently, the current government temporarily halted the project.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed authorities to seek a third-party consultant for validating the optimal route of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.
A joint venture of Turkish and Pakistani firms was tasked with selecting the route from Baanth to Thallian for third-party validation.
However, the joint venture presented two proposals for the second phase, connecting the motorway to Sangjani.
Officials from the district administration have expressed concerns about the rushed report and the omission of the route from the motorway to Sangjani in the proposal.
They recommended hiring another consultant to address this aspect of the project.
Despite the expenditure of over Rs. 600 million on consultancy, the district administration has indicated the need for additional funding if another consultant is engaged for the project.
While the district administration imposed Section 4 to halt land transactions, the provincial caretaker government has yet to allocate funds for land acquisition.
The urgency to initiate the project’s foundation stone laying is seen as a repetition of the previous government’s approach during the PTI tenure when the foundation stone was laid prematurely without completing the land acquisition.
In response, RDA Director General Saif Anwar Jappa stated that the project would proceed according to the route selected by the consultant, indicating that all necessary preparations have been made.
Jappa explained that the consultant has completed its task and provided two route options to the provincial government.
Regarding the land acquisition, he assured that the work has been assigned to FWO and will commence after the land acquisition is finalized.
He added that the process follows established procedures, as the district price committee has determined land rates and surveyed the route, with land purchases from owners being the next step.
Source: DAWN
Any deadline for the completion is kept or the project will take years and years
@Muhammad Omer
It takes couple of years be honest with you but it is a good step which will help the low cost private societies, so people can start making homes in these societies. Access will be easy.
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