RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Traders Association on Wednesday said closure of Bank Road and The Mall had suppressed Eid shopping and urged the federal government and military authorities to look into the matter.

The meeting of the association was held in Saddar which was attended by association president Sheikh Hafeez, Secretary General Zafar Qadri and presidents of all the markets of Saddar.

They said that the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and the district administration assured traders that the roads would be closed in summer for the development work but the work on The Mall started during Ramazan.

They said that all the traffic diverted to Haider Road and rush was witnessed in Saddar and people avoided to visit bazaars for Eid shopping and mostly people go to Commercial Market and other shopping centres for Eid shopping.

They said conversion of Bank Road into car free zone had already created problem for shopkeepers to do business.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema on Wednesday asked the communication and works department to complete General Post Office (GPO) Chowk underpass project worth Rs4.6 billion on The Mall within the stipulated time frame while ensuring quality of construction material.

He stated this during his visit to the underpass to inspect the work. He also directed to speed up work and complete it in the stipulated time frame and asked the relevant authorities to ensure a proper drainage system of the flyover while taking Rawalpindi Cantonment Board on board.

He said that as the pile work is almost complete, excavation work should be accelerated, and ordered immediate removal of debris around the project.

On this occasion, the concerned officials briefed him about the details of the project and the challenges faced.

The project has been launched to improve traffic flow on The Mall, which includes the construction of underpasses at GPO Chowk and TM Chowk as well as a separate underpass for pedestrians near Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) Hospital.

The total length of the project is 1,932 metres, which will be helpful in improving the traffic flow in the city.

The deputy commissioner said that this project will prove to be a major breakthrough in solving the city’s traffic problems and will make travel more convenient for the citizens.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025