LAHORE: The Punjab government has accorded administrative approval to two major projects, Rawalpindi Ring Road and Nulllah Lai Expressway & Flood Channel, worth Rs48.4bn, paving the way for the authorities concerned to launch tendering/bidding process.

“The administrative approval, generally known in the public sector as ‘AA’, is the last approval that legally allows the public sector departments/authorities and autonomous bodies to launch bidding, award tenders and complete the projects,” an official source in the Punjab government told Dawn on Sunday.

“The AA for the Rawalpindi Ring Road consists of the entire costs/estimates (land acquisition, civil works etc) while it is limited to land acquisition cost for the Lai Expressway alone since this mega scheme is to be implemented under public-private partnership that means the contractor/firm would be liable to spend money on construction of the project on its own and recover the same (with profit) within a certain period as agreed upon between the parties through toll collection,” the official, requesting anonymity, explained.

According to a letter issued a couple of days before, the Punjab Housing Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department accorded AA to the Ring Road project in Rawalpindi.

“Following the approval from ECNEC on Dec 22, 2021 and a go-ahead from the P&D board, the government is pleased to accord AA to 38.30km long Rawalpindi Ring Road (R-3) for over Rs23.6bn subject to an assurance from the planning commission to fund the construction of additional lanes on M-1/M-2 as and when required,” reads the letter.

It says the merger plan submitted by the committee is to be implemented by the National Highway Authority (NHA), Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA).

The letter also seeks that the assumption in the PC-1 that the axle load management regime will be implemented by the NHA and the issues in this regard should be addressed by the consultants.

According to another letter, the government granted AA to the land acquisition for the Nullah Lai Expressway & Flood Channel for Rs24.9bn, subject to the condition that no expenditure on the project shall be incurred till the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study, award of the project under PPP mode, obtaining no objection certificates (NOCs), if required, from the civic agencies etc.

The land acquisition for the project, according to the letter, includes the cost of land, relocation of houses, commercial structures, compensation for employment loss, relocation of utilities, monitoring & evaluation, administrative and contingencies cost etc.

“We have also asked the authorities concerned in Rawalpindi to quickly start the bidding process leading to the launch of civil works on the both projects,” the official added.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....
Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....