Commissioner directs departments to align future development along the corridor with traffic, environmental and urban planning needs

RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Salman Ghani has directed relevant departments to align the Rawalpindi Ring Road land-use plan with the city’s future traffic, environmental and urban development requirements.

The directions were issued during a meeting at the Commissioner’s Office to review the Ring Road land-use project. Officials from the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), consultants and other concerned departments attended the meeting.

The meeting examined increasing traffic pressure in Rawalpindi and the proposed role of the Ring Road in improving traffic management. Officials also reviewed planned economic zones and other facilities along the Ring Road corridor.

According to the meeting, the project is expected to help divert heavy traffic away from busy parts of the city, including Bakra Mandi, Old Vegetable Market, Gawal Mandi, Fish Market, Raja Bazaar, Pirwadhai Adda and the Judicial Complex.

The land-use plan includes a range of proposed facilities along the northern and southern corridors around the Banth and Chakri interchanges.

The northern corridor is planned to include inter-city bus terminals, a multi-modal transport terminal, maintenance and operation facilities, financial and corporate towers, clean-tech and green industrial zones, as well as light and medium industrial areas.

The southern corridor includes proposals for shopping malls, food-processing zones, green markets, fruit and vegetable markets, truck terminals and agro-industry-related commercial facilities.

The broader plan also includes electric-vehicle charging stations, hospitals, educational institutions, parking plazas, retail and mixed-use high-rise buildings and other civic facilities.

Other proposed developments include an expo centre, cottage industry areas, warehouses, logistics zones, recycling facilities, technology and green industrial zones, smart forests and sewage treatment plants.

The commissioner also called for greater attention to green spaces around the Ring Road, noting that additional green areas could help address vehicular pollution as the city expands.

He directed departments to ensure that proposed transport, commercial, civic and development facilities remain consistent with the city’s master plan, traffic-management requirements and future population needs.

The meeting also stressed environment-friendly infrastructure, waste management, sewage treatment and public transport as important elements of future development along the Ring Road corridor.