Daily Times

A briefing session on the Ring Road project was held at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), which was attended by a large number of representatives of trade associations of the city and officials and members of the Chamber of Commerce.

M Abdullah, Deputy Project Director, Punjab Management Unit (PMU) gave a detailed presentation. He was accompanied by environment specialist, Adeel Pervez and financial expert Zeeshan Amin.

RCCI President Nasir Mirza said that the Ring Road project would be a game changer for Rawalpindi as the proposed industrial zones can turn Rawalpindi into a hub of trade activities. This is an important project for the development of Rawalpindi and should be completed as soon as possible.

The government and the RDA should purchase land for the proposed industrial zones. The stakeholders should be taken on board while finalizing the allocation and demarcation of Industrial Zones, he added.

Group leader and former president Sohail Altaf said the project should be given full government patronage. Investors should not be left at the mercy of the land mafia. A committee should be formed on the platform of the Chamber of Commerce to liaise with the RDA and the Commissioner’s Office and implement the suggestions of the stakeholders to remove obstacles to the completion of the project.

He said that the main objective of the project was to shift markets, easing traffic congestion and promote Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Ring Road project will boost commercial activities, he added.

Deputy Project Director M Abdullah in a detailed presentation said that the Ring Road project is a 65 km project and Rs6.5 billion has been released for the purchase of land for the road. The proposed project includes construction of industrial zones as well as health city, dry port, bus and truck terminals and theme parks. A proposal for rapid rail transit is also under consideration in the Ring Road project. He assured that the suggestions of the stakeholders would be shared with the project director so that they could be made a part of the project.

Senior Vice President Osman Ashraf, Vice President Shahraiz A Malik, former presidents, representatives of Anjuman-e-Tajiran, members of the executive committee and members were also present on the occasion.