Rawalpindi’s Rs. 300 Million Car-Free Project Suffers Over Slow Cable Work
Rawalpindi – The Rs. 300 million project to turn Rawalpindi’s Commercial Satellite Town Market into a car-free zone is running behind schedule as utility providers delay burying overhead lines.
According to Dawn, a high-level meeting, chaired by Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, has now imposed a strict new deadline of December 30 for utility providers to complete the crucial underground infrastructure work.
The project, launched by the Punjab government and executed by the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC), aims to convert the stretch from Chandni Chowk Road to Rehmanabad Road into a Pedestrian Street. This plan includes removing encroachments, standardizing shop signboards, and eliminating messy overhead cables for electricity, telephones, and gas.
Utilities Lag, Minister Steps In
The RMC’s efforts have been hampered primarily by the slow response of utility providers, namely the Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (Iesco), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and the Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), in laying their service wires and shifting natural gas supply lines underground.
To expedite the initiative, Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, an elected representative from the area, held a review meeting with officials from all concerned departments. A senior RMC official confirmed that the Minister issued a clear directive: the utility companies must complete undergrounding services by December 30 to allow the RMC to commence the final beautification work of the Rawalpindi Car-Free Project.
The overall project, funded by RMC’s annual development funds, was initially scheduled for completion by June 30. Still, Minister Abbasi has expressed a desire to see it finalized earlier, possibly by March or April.
Traders and Residents Face Congestion and Dust
The current slow pace of the Rawalpindi Car-Free Project has caused widespread disruption among traders and significant inconvenience for the general public.
Shopkeepers are particularly disturbed by the dug-up roads, which have deterred visitors from coming to the main commercial market during the peak season. The situation is made worse by a simultaneous pedestrian project in Raja Bazaar (from Fawara Chowk to Hamilton Road), where underground cable work is also lagging.
Residents are facing numerous daily problems, including severe traffic congestion in the inner city and streets marked by dust and broken roads.
RMC Pledges to Act on New Deadline
RMC Municipal Officer Raffaqat Gondal told Dawn that the RMC would start construction work in the Commercial Market and Raja Bazaar once underground cable work is completed.
However, concerns remain, especially regarding the lack of a proper parking plan for the area once the market is fully pedestrianized.
