Eight months into fiscal year, Rawalpindi Development Authority yet to launch any development project
RAWALPINDI: Eight months into the fiscal year 2025-26, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has yet to launch any development scheme in the garrison city.
It made plans for the Murree Road expansion, construction of an underpass to connect 9th Avenue with Double Road and a number of other roads. However, the civic agency deferred the repair of Chaudhry Bostan Khan Road and other dilapidated roads till the next fiscal year.
A senior official of RDA told Dawn that in the current fiscal year, the civic agency planned different projects but failed to launch work on any of them.
“It focused on regulating private housing schemes and approval of building plans.”
He said that in the fiscal year 2025-26, RDA had planned the Leh Nullah Expressway and Flood Channel, but the provincial government did not release funds for the project. He said RDA was the executing agency only for Rawalpindi Ring Road project, which was being managed by Project Management Unit.
The official added that bike lane and construction of joint check posts on Peshawar Road and the old Airport Road were to the credit of the civic agency. He said in the annual development programme, there was no other development project for Rawalpindi.
“We informed the government about dilapidated roads but the communication and works department was given the road projects.”
The civic body was supposed to present the development projects for next fiscal year for preparation of the annual development, but it again sent to the government three projects – Leh expressway, Murree Road expansion, connecting 9th Avenue with Double Road underpass and repair of nine roads besides construction of RDA complex – to include in the annual development programme.
He said the authority planned to expand Murree Road from Liaquat Bagh to Chandni Chowk and add service lanes on both sides to improve traffic flow and ease congestion. He said the proposal had been sent to the Punjab government last month for final approval and inclusion in the annual development programme (ADP). However, on the recommendation of the district administration, the plan was revised and forwarded again to Lahore for approval.
The official said RDA had submitted a proposal to the Planning Department for approval to connect Double Road with 9th Avenue by constructing an underpass at an estimated cost of Rs800 million. When contacted, RDA spokesman Mohammad Irfan said that it was working on projects for which the government had allocated funds. However, he said, work on more projects would be launched in the next fiscal year.
“Three roads maintenance work done at Airport Road, High Court Road and Al-Hannan Masjid Road,” he said.