LAHORE: The Rs17.798 billion Lahore Ring Road’s Southern Loop-3 is likely to be completed by December-end.

The construction work on all sections of the loop has been accelerated while 26 per cent of the total construction work has been finished, indicating a substantial likelihood of adhering to the project’s completion timeline of Dec 30.

An official source in the Lahore Ring Road Authority (LRRA) told Dawn on Friday the piling work is heading towards completion as most of the piles have been completed.

The other works related to shaft-steel fixing is underway whereas the 10 per cent jobs related casting of girders. 25 per cent works concerning concreting of subways have also been completed. Since the earth-filling works (raising of the existing level / embankment) are also underway, the overall progress on the project is 26 per cent.

“We launched civil works simultaneously on all portions of the SL-3,” the official added.

The work on the SL-3 had been launched during the second week of August with mobilisation of the machinery and manpower by the contractor to the main site, Adda Plot, Raiwind Road.

The work was started after the Punjab finance department released Rs6 billion to the LRRA with a commitment to release remaining funds in phases. The SL-3 project will have the biggest ever interchange in Punjab, passing over Link Canal Road and Multan Road and finally ending 500 meters ahead of Multan Road. The project will connect to Ring Road SL-4, which will be built after the completion of SL-3, subject to approval and availability of funds.

The government had decided to launch construction on the SL-3 in June, this year after the cabinet approved the Rs17.798 billion PC-I. The project was stuck in litigation since 2016 due to the alleged intervention of a “powerful” real estate tycoon.

The SL-3 starts from Adda Plot on Raiwind Road and ends at Maraka on Multan Road, linking Bahria Town and other residential localities. It is an 8km long six-lane dual carriageway having two interchanges, seven flyovers (bridges), four service road bridges (single span), and three vehicular subways.

Earlier, it was to be constructed at Rs10 billion under the public-private-partnership mode on the build, operate and transfer basis and the project cost was supposed to be recovered by the contractors through toll from motorists within 25 years. The first contract of the project had been awarded to a leading private firm for Rs8bn.

The LRRA in August 2016 tried to start work through Bahria Town but the housing scheme’s administration and others obtained a stay order even though a compensation of around Rs550 million had been deposited with the court’s treasury as per its directions.

In 2017, the court vacated the stay order. However, the aggrieved parties again got a stay by filing an intra-court appeal. The stay was again vacated in 2018.

In October 2018, a joint team of the LRRA, city district administration and police had also retrieved the land from the housing project in days-long operation amid demolition of 73 houses, four plazas and other buildings.

The project was, however, shelved by the Buzdar government for unknown reasons.

OPERATIONS: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has detected another 288 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2023