RAWALPINDI:
The Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has completed about 80 per cent of the underground cabling and utility work at the historic Raja Bazaar and the newly developed Commercial Avenue Market.
Initial work has also begun on a major beautification project, scheduled for completion on May 30.
Once completed, residents will be able to experience Raja Bazaar and the Commercial Market in a refreshed and visually stunning form by June this year, according to municipal authorities.
Officials say that in the commercial stretch of Raja Bazaar, from Fawara Chowk to Dingi Khoi Chowk, an area established before the creation of Pakistan, around 80 per cent of the underground cabling has already been completed. The next phase includes the repair, restoration and improvement of facades of old buildings, the installation of signs of a single color and uniform size, the construction of pedestrian walkways with tufa tiles, the improvement of sidewalks, public toilets, sitting benches, decorative lighting and the placement of flowerpots and green plants of various sizes.
These works have entered the initial implementation stage and are expected to be completed by May 30, after which the area will be opened as a pedestrian-only street, similar to Saddar Bank Road.
Meanwhile, in the city’s busiest commercial avenue market, nearly 90 percent of the underground wiring and utility relocation work has been completed. The Municipal Corporation has also started preliminary beautification work in that area.
Municipal Corporation Director Imran Ali said that under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s ‘Sohna Punjab’ programme, completion of beautification and underground cabling projects at Raja Bazaar and commercial market by May is of exceptional importance.
He said the project would ensure better cleanliness, improved aesthetics and a healthier urban environment for citizens.
Municipal Infrastructure Officer Rafaqat Gondal said that by June this year, Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market will emerge as highly attractive destinations, encouraging citizens to prioritize shopping in these areas.
