RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal on Saturday said the Rawalpindi Ring Road project would be completed in one-and-a-half years instead of its scheduled period of two years so that the traffic problem of the city could be solved on a priority basis.

He stated this while addressing a function held at Mouza Banth to formally inaugurate the construction of the Ring Road.

RDA Chief Engineer Dr Habibul Haq Randhawa, in-charge of the project and Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq were also present.

The commissioner said he would review the progress on the project on a daily basis to complete it expeditiously without compromising on its quality.

“It is a very memorable and happy day for the citizens of Rawalpindi that regular work has been started on the important project of Ring Road.” He said issues related to land acquisition for the project should be resolved on a priority basis and in this regard the deputy commissioner should mobilise all the revenue staff.

The commissioner directed the concerned revenue officers to prepare a detailed report on grievances regarding the land acquisition and submit it to him as soon as possible. He also directed the FWO authorities to set up a regular camp at Banth.

The commissioner was given a detailed briefing on the Ring Road project.

People living in villages near Banth met the commissioner and thanked the project director for starting work from the area.

The commissioner directed that a fair and expeditious payment should be made to the owners of the land. He directed the director land RDA and the land acquisition collector to submit a report on these issues on Monday.

The RDA chief engineer gave a presentation on the project.

The government of Punjab has approved the project’s cost at Rs33.69 billion. He said the land acquisition cost will be Rs6.724 billion and the construction cost Rs26.96 million.

The chief engineer said the design speed on the road will be 120kph with six lanes dividing the carriageway with three lanes either way. Five interchanges will be constructed on the National Highway (N-5) at Banth. After crossing through Chakbeli Road and Adiala Road, Chakri Road, the Ring Road will terminate on the motorway (M-2) at Thallian Interchange.

The Ring Road would resolve traffic issues by providing an alternative bypass and connecting N-5 with M-2, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022