Rawalpindi Ring Road: Sarwar Presses PM to continue
Aftab Ahmed
Islamabad: Rawalpindi ring road project has been in news for the last few weeks following leaking a scam. Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan has pressed Prime Minister Imran Khan and cabinet to continue the Ring Road project despite an alteration in its map involving a scam of Rs 32 billion.
The fact-finding report has pointed out several irregularities in changing the map of the Rawalpindi ring road project to favor some housing societies.
In a recent cabinet meeting, Minister for Aviation apprehended that certain quarters were trying to implicate him in the scam.
However, he added he had neither exercised any influence nor derived any benefit, nor his family, from the realignment.
He, however, underscored the importance of the ring road project for the Rawalpindi and ICT area. He requested that government should not shelve it irrespective of whichever alignment was finally decided.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister advised him not to react to insinuations as there was nothing against him in the initial fact-finding report.
The map’s alteration Rawalpindi ring road project has resulted in giving benefit to the housing societies. The government has calculated benefits of Rs Rs 32 billion to housing societies.
The administration of Rawalpindi has altered the alignment of the Rawalpindi ring road project that would have benefited 7-9 housing societies in Islamabad entailed an extra land acquisition cost of Rs. 23 billion.
An information minister has informed Prime Minister Imran Khan in a meeting of Cabinet.
Prime Minister invited the Minister for Information and Broadcasting to brief the Cabinet on the fact-finding report on the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.
The local administration of Rawalpindi had approved the project in 2018. However, the local administration had not finalized the alteration in the PC-I.
Then commissioner Rawalpindi altered alignment in 2019 without seeking the approval of the competent authority.
The addition of the 29 km Attock-loop entailed an extra land acquisition cost of Rs. 23 billion, which would have benefited 7-9 housing societies.
The Prime Minister informed the members he had ordered a fact-finding inquiry on a report of Iniquitous rent-seeking abuses in the project of Rawalpindi ring road.
He assured the government would conduct the formal inquiry to reveal the facts in line with the findings of the initial probe.
