Hiring Consultant for Rawalpindi Ring Road Project RDA Approached third party Firm

Rawalpindi: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has approached the Planning and Development Board Punjab for assistance regarding the hiring of a firm for third party evaluation of the optimal route alignment for the Rawalpindi Ring Road Project. The RDA has already disqualified the two firms who had expressed their interest in the third-party evaluation claiming that the said firms did not have any experience with such evaluation.

The project also called as R3 Project has faced delays several times on financial and technical grounds. On special directives of PM Shahbaz Sharif, the P&D Board had directed the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) to hire a consultant for the third-party validation of the optimal route. The officials of the selection committee rejected the interested firms on technical grounds and decided to approach Planning and Development Board to get its approval for its plan to re-advertise the proposal. As per the old alignment of the 2020 plan, the road project worth Rs64bn was 66.3km-long from Radio Pakistan Rawat to Thalian and from Thalian to Sangjani.

Earlier it was informed by the RDA official that the economic activities along the route of the RRR include education and health zones, central business districts, theme parks, recreational areas, high-rise building zones, and relocation and establishment of truck/bus terminals and commercial markets. The federal government had decided on the five main projects to fetch foreign investment after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the UAE. These projects also include Rawalpindi Ring Road and Kharian Rawalpindi Motorway. The federal government is interested to execute the RRR through foreign investment.