Punjab CM inaugurates Kutchery Chowk flyover, set to open for traffic today
RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday inaugurated Kutchery Chowk, which has been remodelled at a cost of Rs19 billion and renamed Marka-i-Haq Square.
The two flyovers and three underpasses were, however, not opened for traffic on Sunday. The district administration said the main square will be open for traffic by Monday evening as some electric work was still ongoing.
The chief minister along with Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and MNA Tahira Aurganzeb unveiled the commemorative plaque at the square. Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi, local MPAs, Commissioner Abdul Aamer Khattak and Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema were also present.
Kutchery Chowk remodeling is part of a signal-free corridor project from Islamabad Expressway and T-Chowk to the Motorway Chowk. The project achieved a record milestone with the completion of the three underpasses, two overhead bridges, and a pedestrian bridge in 179 days.
The stretch of the road from Kutchery Chowk has been named Marka-i-Haq Square. Prayers were offered after the unveiling of the project’s commemorative plaque.
Under the Kutchery Chowk remodeling project, two flyovers and three underpasses have been constructed simultaneously to manage more than 250,000 vehicles daily.
The Kutchery Chowk flyover and the underpass have been named Marka-i-Haq, while the Jinnah Park flyover and underpass have been named Jinnah Underpass and Flyover. The third is named the Iftikhar Janjua Underpass.
A monument has also been constructed in Baggi Park at Kutchery Chowk in front of Fatima Jinnah Women University.
The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has been assigned the task of establishing the Marka-i-Haq Monument on The Mall.
The chief minister also visited the signal-free corridor, inspected the overhead bridge and other roads, and reviewed the signal-free project from Jinnah Park Chowk to GPO Chowk.
Minister for Communications and Works Malik Sohaib Ahmad Bharth gave a briefing on the project. He said more than 200,000 vehicles will be able to pass daily through the signal-free corridor in Rawalpindi’s most congested area. The project also included the city’s first state-of-the-art pedestrian bridge.
Two phases of the Rawat-to-Motorway signal-free corridor have been completed, while work on the third phase will be completed soon. Underpasses will also be constructed at Racecourse, Chairing Cross and Army Graveyard Square.
A 25-kilometre-long signal-free corridor will be developed from Rawat to the motorway, comprising a total of nine underpasses and three flyovers.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the signal-free corridor would transform Rawalpindi’s urban culture.
She said the Punjab government was working to provide maximum facilities to the residents and in this regard it was utilising all available resources. She said it was the priority of the PML-N and the provincial government to provide all civic facilities, healthcare and education to citizens without any discrimination.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Communication and Works Department said that though the construction of the roads and greenbelts along the flyovers and underpasses had been completed, some electrical work was still pending which will be finished by Sunday night.
“We are removing blockades placed at the square and will be shifting heavy vehicles parked along the roads by Monday morning,” he said and added that some construction work on U-turns connecting to main roads was also pending from Nazar Chowk to Kutchery.
The official said work on the drainage line from the Highway Department offices on Rashid Minhas Road to the regional police officer’s house on Sir Syed Road was also pending and will likely be completed soon.
Meanwhile, Chief Traffic Officer Farhan Aslam said: “Hopefully, the flyover will be ready for traffic on Monday evening once the remaining construction on a portion of it is finished.”
A special security plan was chalked out by the Rawalpindi police by placing police on high alert. More than 700 police personnel were deployed from Nur Khan Airbase to Kutchery Chowk to ensure foolproof security for the chief minister.
Traffic arrangements were also made to ensure a clear passage to the VIP convoy as public vehicles’ movement was blocked on roads linking to the CM’s route which caused inconvenience to the public.
After the inauguration ceremony, the chief minister flew back to Lahore on her special plane.