RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) will soon start constructing high-rise building on Murree Road for commercial purposes and to accommodate its offices.

“The building to be constructed on public-private partnership basis will not only have RDA offices but to be used for commercial purposes,” said RDA Chairman Arif Abbasi while talking to Dawn.

He said the basic purpose of the new complex was to generate revenue for the civic body which would be used on the development work.

He said the RDA had more than 10 development projects pending as the government had no funding to start them. However, he said, the provincial government had promised to release funds soon but the RDA had decided to manage the things on its own.

He said the governing body of the authority had given go-ahead to the complex and the work would be started soon.

He said at present, the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) building had RDA offices.

“The RDA had more than 13 kanals adjacent to Municipal Library where the plaza will be constructed,” he said, adding the ban on high-rise building on Murree Road has been done away with after shifting of airport to its new site,” he said.

He said: “The RDA has consulted Land Revenue Department of district administration for the land demarcation. We have done spadework.”

The RDA chairman said basically the RDA wanted to get some additional land on the rear side of the plot from the district administration on payment.

He said that the governing body had also decided to use first three floors of the plaza for commercial purposes and utilize top two or three floors for RDA offices.

He said a consultant would soon be hired to start PC-I of the project.

The RDA chairman said the authority also planned to construct two more mega malls in Sherpao Colony near Dhoke Khabba.

He said the administration had given approval to construction of multi-storey commercial buildings adjacent to tubewell and on a vacant plot number 36.

He said all these plazas would be constructed on public-private partnership basis as the RDA had no money to construct them. The chairman said more than 10 investors had shown their interest in these new projects.

However, he said the RDA would invite expressions of interest and follow set rules while granting contract. He said the PTI government wanted to provide an opportunity to competitors who would be asked to adopt merit on such matters to avoid corruption.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2019