RAWALPINDI: A project to construct an underpass and nyover at Ammar Chowk on Airport Road to end traffic congestion, worth Rs684 million, has yet to see the light of day despite being approved three years ago.

A senior official from the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) told Dawn the PC-1 to remodel Ammar Chowk was prepared based on instructions from garrison authorities to end traffic congestion on Airport Road. Inthe meantime, however, the provincial government launched the metro bus project for the garrison city and stopped working on the Ammar Chowk project.

He said two projects were devised to end traffic congestion on Katcheri Chowk near the district courts and Ammar Chowk, the RDA made the PC-1 for Ammar Chowk and the Provincial Highway Department had been assigned the work to make a plan for Katcheri Chowk.

However, he said the provincial government did not give the RDA a go ahead for the project, and instead allocating funding to construct five roads in the garrison city in the last nscal year and three main roads in the current fiscal year that fell in the constituencies of PML-N leaders.

Due to VIP movement on Airport Road, traffic is stopped four or fivetimes every day during rush hour, creating problems for motorists.

A senior City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) official told Dawn the CDGR was consulted by the provincial government on the construction and suggested a flyover and an underpass be constructed at Airport Road and Katcheri Chowk.

He said the RDA was responsible for taking up the projects and failed to launch them for the last three years.

The official said the government was facing Knancial difñculties and had releasedlesserfundingforthe development project in the current fiscal year.

The RDA director engineering, Akram Soban, said the project was made by the RDA in 2013, but the authority is still waiting for funding and a green light from the provincial government to begin work on the pro-ject.

He said although it was approved in October 2013, the RDA was also tasked with looking after work on the metro bus project, and it was not possible for the authority to pay attention to two important projects at the same time.

He said at present the RDA is working on completing the reconstruction of Rawal Road, which connects Airport Road with Murree Road, at a cost of Rs340 million, and will be completed by the end ofJanuary 2017.

He said the RDA would also start work on reconstructing the road connecting Tipu Road with Airport Road by the end of December.

`Rs250 million were allocated for this, including the construction of a dual carriageway covering a nullah and laying down a 72 inch diameter sewerage line and streetlights.