According to details, the Punjab government has set aside Rs24 billion for various mega projects in Rawalpindi in the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2021- 2021 (FY22).
The provincial government is expected to release funds of Rs16 billion for several mega projects of Rawalpindi district which include Ring Road, Dadocha Dam, Kohsar University, modern graveyard etc.
Some funds would be set aside for the construction of a modern cemetery in the garrison city on 2,000 kanals of state-owned land. According to sources, 57-kilometre (kms) gas supply line will be installed in Murree and a 38-km one in Rawalpindi.
Reportedly, the government will also reserve funds for the Daducha dam in the fiscal budget with an estimated cost of over Rs5 billion.
Dadocha dam is expected to generate 35 million gallons of water supply for Rawalpindi residents as well as to those residing in the surrounding areas once constructed. The dam is being constructed by Frontier Works Organization (FWO) is going to open an array of opportunities for tourism in Rawalpindi and Islamabad as well as enhance the area’s green cover and ecology.
Earlier the government was being criticized for its failure to complete any mega projects in the Rawalpindi district and putting them on the backburner for the longest time. The upgradation of road infrastructure remained halted for almost three years while the Ring Road project could not be completed due to alignment scam.
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Likewise, the Leh Expressway project could not move forward owing to a lack of funds and the work was put on hold while the Ghazi Barotha water supply project and modern graveyard in Rawalpindi failed to move forward as well.
However, it is being said that the Ring Road project will now be built from GT Road to Thalian motorway, which was the alignment marked out when Shahbaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab. The project would be completed under a public-private partnership (PPP) mode while Punjab Ring Road Authority (PRRA) would work as its executive agency.