The Rawalpindi Development Authority has provided detailed progress updates and policy clarity on three major urban projects as Director General Kinza Murtaza said the Ring Road is approximately 78 percent complete. The revised 38 kilometre Ring Road will link GT Road at Baanth with the M2 Motorway near Thalian and connect to the CPEC route via M2 Hakla and Margalla Avenue through AWT, offering a dedicated corridor to divert long haul and intercity traffic away from congested city roads.
A comprehensive traffic management plan for the Ring Road divides movements into three streams toward CPEC routes, Islamabad and the airport. Under the plan heavy vehicles and large buses will not be permitted to enter Rawalpindi past Rawat T Chowk, with large buses dropping passengers at designated terminals on the Ring Road and smaller vehicles, taxis and shuttles ferrying commuters into the city. A proposal is under review to assign toll operations to More, operated by the Frontier Works Organization, using a unified One Card system; toll revenue collected after the initial ten years would be ringfenced for Ring Road maintenance. A Northern Zone along the corridor is planned to relocate Pir Wadhai bus adda, Ganjmandi markets and the truck adda, while an Expo Center is proposed near the Thalian Interchange with land acquisition to be coordinated by Islamabad authorities.
Land compensation remains contentious after the earlier 64 kilometre Ring Road alignment was cancelled and many acquisitions reversed. The current alignment overlaps parts of the original route, and the administration led by the Commissioner maintains acquired land should not be re-acquired at current market rates to protect the public exchequer. Landowners are demanding prevailing rates and the dispute has been referred to the Senior Member Board of Revenue for a decision on revised compensation or an ex gratia package. The RDA has also engaged the National Engineering Services Pakistan to carry out a feasibility study for a potential Ring Road Phase Two.
Nullah Lai continues to pose a complex environmental and safety challenge for Rawalpindi. After rejecting a limited Rs.40 million feasibility study, the RDA has requested Rs.250 million from the Punjab government for a comprehensive study addressing flood management and sewage separation. Officials say Nullah Lai currently carries nearly all of Rawalpindi’s sewage and about 67 percent of Islamabad’s sewage due to the absence of a trunk sewer. The proposed solution is construction of a dedicated trunk sewer to divert sewage to a treatment plant near Sawan so that only stormwater flows through Nullah Lai. Flood passage and protection of lives and property are being prioritised, with road works and beautification to follow once safety issues are resolved. Section 144 has been imposed to prevent dumping of construction material or garbage into the channel, and the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company will coordinate monitoring and enforcement against violators.
On Murree Road the RDA is considering widening the carriageway by 15 feet on each side, a total addition of 30 feet, along the congested stretch from Liaquat Bagh to Benazir Bhutto Hospital. The widening would form part of the main carriageway rather than a service road, allowing smoother traffic flow and faster access for ambulances and emergency vehicles. Consultations with the Anjuman-e-Tajiran have begun and traders have been assured that no businesses will suffer losses; affected shops from small workshops to larger commercial outlets will be offered alternative locations and compensation. The project remains at the planning stage with no immediate demolition planned and early disclosure intended to prevent further encroachments.
