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Thursday March 28, 2024

‘Leh Expressway’ on top of Sheikh Rashid’s priorities

By Khalid Iqbal
August 01, 2018

Rawalpindi : The 22-kilometer long signal free ‘Leh Expressway’ project would be started on priority, Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Shaikh Rashid Ahmed told ‘The News’.

Shaikh Rashid Ahmed in an interview with The News said that he was taking an active participation to resolve public related issues in the city and ‘Leh Expressway’ was on top of his priority list. He said: “I know public was facing several problems and I will try my level best to resolve them”.

“The Leh Expressway was aimed at treating the city’s sewerage and providing an alternate road connecting Rawalpindi with Islamabad, which will help clean up the traffic mess on Murree Road, Peshawar Road and Airport Road,” he said.

In a question, ‘The News’ asked that what would happen if PTI failed to form government in Punjab. Shaikh Rashid said that PTI will definitely form government in Punjab and construction work of ‘Leh Expressway’ project start at any cost.

Sharing details of the project, Sheikh Rashid said that according to plan, the 22-kilometer long signal free expressway would be constructed on both sides of the Nullah Leh from Rawalpindi to Islamabad. There would be interchanges at the Katarian Bridge, Moti Mehal and Ammar Chowk. Eight flyovers and 10 bridges were also to be constructed on the expressway. The project would ease the traffic congestion on both Benazir Bhutto and the Airport Road.

The project was launched in 2007 by the Musharraf regime but was stopped by the PML-N government in 2008 for the construction of an expressway from Moti Mahal Cinema to 9th Avenue.

“Because of resentment from the opposition over the stopping of the project after the construction of the Rs44b Metro Bus Project , the PML-N government decided to conduct a fresh feasibility study for the Leh Nullah project. And though more than Rs1 billion was spent on the fresh feasibility study, the government did not launch the project nor did it include it in the annual development programme in Punjab,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) did not start work on the Leh Expressway also called ‘Shaikh Rashid Expressway’ during PML-N regime.

Some key-post officials from RDA on condition of anonymity said that in PML-N regime federal government had provided Rs2 billion out of the project total cost of Rs20 bullion. But construction work was not started. The RDA wanted to acquire 891 kanal land affecting around 400 houses. But, land acquisition process was not started which was the main reason for the delay in the project, the officials claimed.

The Leh Nullah Expressway project included the construction of cemented walls and a bed for the drain. Two roads were to be constructed on the banks of the drain from Ammar Chowk to 9th Avenue.

A sewerage treatment plant was to be constructed in Adiala village and the sewerage in Leh Nullah was to be taken from Moti Mahal Cinema to a treatment plant where the water was to be cleaned for irrigation purposes.

The project also called for the laying of sewerage lines in 65 per cent of the garrison city, as the remaining 35 per cent already has sewerage lines. This would have helped stop flooding in the city every monsoon in this regard.