Officials will only make announcements and no funds will be released until August 2026.
RAWALPINDI:
Three major public welfare projects in Rawalpindi – Leh Nullah Expressway, sewage tunnel and sewage treatment plant, and widening of Murree Road from Liaquat Bagh to Chandni Chowk – have been removed from the current fiscal year 2025-26.
The authorities have clearly conveyed that no funds will be released for these projects for the next eight months, until August 31, 2026. Senior officials have been ordered to continue making announcements about the projects despite the lack of funding.
The fourth project, which involved fencing both sides of Lai Nullah with barbed wire to prevent the dumping of waste and construction material, has also been terminated. Lai Nullah has remained stalled since 2007. Although the foundation stone of the 22-kilometer project was laid, work was halted in 2008.
Its initial cost was estimated at 17 billion rupees, but has now risen to almost 100 billion rupees, eliminating the chances of starting in 2026.
The sewerage and water treatment tunnel project, initially estimated at Rs 30 billion in 2021, was later revised to Rs 52 billion. Although the Asian Development Bank had shown its willingness to finance it, the project was delayed for political reasons and now the ADB has withdrawn its support.
Murree Road was last carpeted in 2014.
Severe traffic congestion persists from Liaquat Bagh to Chandni Chowk between 8 am and 9 pm. A proposal to widen both sides by 20 feet, acquire land and construct 15-foot wide service roads had an estimated cost of Rs 9 billion. Due to financial constraints, the project was also shelved and moved to the next fiscal year 2026-27, with costs likely to rise further.
Meanwhile, Federal Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi said the Punjab government was focusing on the development of Rawalpindi and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif would announce special development packages.
