RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government’s Consultant Selection Committee for mega projects has decided to hire a consultant within three months for the third party validation of one of the two optimal routes for Rawalpindi Ring Road and establishment of an economic corridor along it.

This was decided at a meeting held with Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal in the chair on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by senior officials and representatives from the finance, planning and development, highway departments, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Director General Saif Anwar Jappa and Chief Engineer Dr Habib Randhawa.

A senior official privy to the meeting told Dawn that the committee decided that a consultancy firm would be hired which would work on the project in two phases - Phase-I for determination of the optimal route for the economic corridor and Phase II for detailed planning for land use along the third party validated alignment of the Ring Road.

“For the two phases, Rs90 million have been allocated, including Rs30 million for Phase-I and Rs60 million for Phase II,” he said.

He said the economic corridor would be selected keeping in view the components of the economic zone which may include envisaged industrial units, education and health zones, recreational areas, central business districts, theme parks, high-rise building zones and relocation and establishment of commercial markets, truck/bus terminals.

He said traffic management to achieve sustainable and workable factor of futuristic growth of the twin cities shall be added to the scope of assignment.

He said the meeting also decided that the whole process of consultant’s selection would be finalised in 45 days, entailing the completion of Phase-I in 60 days. The assignment of Phase-II should be completed in 90 days and work order of Phase-II to successful bidder will be awarded after completion of the optimal alignment of the road.

He said the meeting agreed that the firms shortlisted by the Planning and Development Department were not in line with the requisite scope of assignment as the firms must have the expertise of road infrastructure and land use. Therefore, he said, it was decided that the invitation of proposals as per the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules would be advertised to hire the firm.

The federal government has enlisted five main projects to fetch foreign investment after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the UAE.

These projects are: Parco coastal refinery Phase-I oil import terminal, Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway, Rawalpindi Ring Road, Karachi Circular Railway and connectivity of Thar Block-II with the railway network.

The federal government wanted to bring foreign investment instead of launching the Ring Road project under the annual development programme or through local investors.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022