RAWALPINDI: The construction of three underpasses on Peshawar Road will begin after Eidul Fitr, as 70 per cent work on shifting electricity pylons has already been completed.
Punjab Highway Executive Engineer Qamar Ali Saqib told a private newspaper that the shifting of utility services is in progress. He said construction work is likely to start after the Eid holidays and will be completed within 70 days.
He added that the government has directed the authorities to finish the project by June 30, before the start of the monsoon season.
According to officials, 70 per cent of the work to relocate electricity pylons from Chairing Cross to Race Course Park has been completed. The remaining work is expected to finish by mid-March.
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The three underpasses will cost around Rs8 billion. The administration has decided to start construction after Eid to avoid traffic congestion in the city. More than 200,000 vehicles are already using alternative routes daily.
Officials also said that work on the Kutchery Chowk remodeling project is expected to reach 85 per cent completion by the end of March. The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has completed the relocation of trees along Peshawar Road.
It is worth mentioning that two flyovers and three underpasses are being built at the same time to manage traffic of more than 250,000 vehicles daily.
Meanwhile, the district administration has imposed Section 4 to acquire more than 40 kanals of land for the project. Prices for commercial and residential land have been fixed according to market rates.
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The District Price Assessment Committee will handle the land acquisition, including land owned by the city traffic police.
A senior district official said that most of the land belongs to Military Lands, and only three properties are registered in sub-registrar offices. The committee has fixed the price per marla.
Notices have been issued for two A-class, seven B-class, and one B-2 class properties, as well as the traffic police offices and the Qasim Market site. Some commercial land from Radio Pakistan bus stop to Lane 4 will also be acquired.
The land acquisition process is expected to be completed within two to three weeks.
