Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has completed carpeting of Benazir Bhutto Road but failed to cover the leftover damaged portion beneath the Railway bridge at Mareer Hassan Chowk, which has been lying unattended for the last four months. When RDA executed work on carpeting of Benazir Bhutto Road worth Rs90 million it had left some damaged portion underneath the Railway bridge. As a result rainwater accumulates under the bridge giving a pond-like look. It causes great hardships for motorists including motorcyclists to drive along this road. It also creates trouble for pedestrians to walk along this road as motorists and motorcyclists splash water while driving through it.
A large number of people said they had brought the problem into the notice of the then RDA director general Makeen Shahbaz, Commissioner Rawalpindi Zahid Saeed and even MNA Malik Shakil Awan, on whose supervision the carpeting of Benazir Bhutto Road was done, but the remedial work has yet not been done so far. When this correspondent approached DCO Saqib Zafar to get comments over the matter, he first expressed his unawareness. However, later on, he assured to look into the matter, directing the concerned development body to repair the leftover damaged portion under the Railway bridge at the earliest.
RDA Spokesman Umar Farooq in his remarks first stated that the work has to be carried out by the Pakistan Railways but later said the RDA would pay Railways the required funds for the repair work. At the same time, the spokesman said that the work on the portion was left because RDA is planning to construct a separate lane for approaching to Kutchery Chowk. Negotiations with the Railways concerned officials are underway in this regard, Umar Farooq said. Work on the leftover part would soon be done, he assured.
Continuing, he highlighted the achievements of RDA during the current year. With its own generated resources through taxes, work on RDA Parking Plaza has been completed at a cost of Rs180 million, he said. Similarly revamping, carpeting and expansion work on Rashid Minhas Road, Dhoke Khabba Road, Fifth Road, road from Rehmanabad to Syed Pur Road etc have been completed. Whereas under the ongoing projects work on Kurri Road, expansion and renovation of road from Transformer Chowk to Islamabad Express is under progress and would be completed in the next couple of months. Work on expansion of Railway bridge at Mareer Chowk would also be initiated soon, he said.
