Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan The Rawalpindi Ring Road project has missed its sixth completion deadline, with the long awaited corridor still not ready for inauguration despite August 14 having been set as the latest target date. Main construction work has largely been completed along the 38.3 kilometre route stretching from Banth Mor on GT Road to the Thallian Interchange. However, the project cannot become fully operational until the remaining toll booths and toll collection system are completed. According to the latest project status, the Project Management Unit will formally hand over the road to the Punjab Ring Road Authority once the outstanding tolling infrastructure is finished. Of the five planned interchanges, four have already been completed at Banth, Chakbeli Khan, Adiala and Chakri. Work at the Thallian Interchange, however, remains incomplete after authorities decided to develop it as a broader interchange facility. Despite the unfinished work at Thallian, the Ring Road has already been connected with the motorway network. The project’s total cost has now reached approximately Rs47 billion, translating into an average cost of around Rs 1.22 billion per kilometre. The latest delay has primarily been attributed to incomplete tolling infrastructure rather than the main road construction. Once toll plazas and the associated tolling system are completed, the project is expected to be transferred to the Punjab Ring Road Authority for operation. The Ring Road is considered a major transport infrastructure project for Rawalpindi, designed to divert through-traffic away from congested urban roads and improve connectivity between GT Road, major suburban areas and the motorway network. Authorities have also removed a controversial service area that had earlier been established along the Ring Road corridor. With most civil works completed, the project has now entered its final operational-preparation phase, but the missed August 14 deadline has further extended the wait for the road’s formal opening.

Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan Rawalpindi city is set to have two mayors and four deputy mayors after being divided into two municipal towns under the finalized local government delimitation ahead of the upcoming local government elections. The final delimitation notification has been issued after objections to the proposed boundaries were rejected, formally establishing Municipal Rawal Town and Municipal Potohar Town. Under the new structure, Rawal Town will comprise 41 union councils, compared with 46 previously, while Potohar Town will have 33, down from 36. Murree Road will serve as the boundary between the two municipal towns. Areas towards Raja Bazaar will fall within Rawal Town, while Dhoke Khabba and Sadiqabad will become part of Potohar Town. The changes form part of a broader restructuring of local government across Rawalpindi district. The Rawalpindi District Council has been dissolved and its areas redistributed among six tehsil councils. Two new tehsil councils—Saddar and Cantt—and a new municipal committee at Daultala have also been created. Rawalpindi city will consequently be administered through four local government areas: Rawal Town, Potohar Town, Tehsil Council Saddar and Tehsil Council Cantt. Saddar Tehsil Council will comprise 22 union councils and Cantt Tehsil Council 29. The total number of union councils across these four Rawalpindi areas will reach 125, compared with 82 previously. At the district level, Rawalpindi will now have 17 local government bodies, comprising two municipal towns, five municipal committees, six tehsil councils and four cantonment boards. The municipal committees include Gujar Khan with six union councils, Taxila with five, Kahuta and Kallar Syedan with four each, and Daultala with two. The six tehsil councils are Gujar Khan with 36 union councils, Kahuta with 12, Kallar Syedan and Taxila with 13 each, Saddar with 22 and Cantt with 29. Following Murree’s elevation as a separate district, Rawalpindi district now has four cantonment boards—Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Wah and Taxila—compared with five previously. The final delimitation was approved by the three-member Delimitation Authority comprising District Election Commissioner-I Sajid Rathore, District Election Commissioner-II Safia Akbar and Local Government Director Shazia Mumtaz, clearing the administrative framework for the forthcoming local government elections.

Rawalpindi : ReNews Pakistan Rawalpindi’s development programme for the 2026-27 fiscal year has suffered a major setback as severe financial constraints have forced authorities to cancel hundreds of development schemes and shelve several major road and transport infrastructure projects proposed for the district. A total of 286 development schemes have been cancelled in Rawalpindi district, while the number of dropped schemes across Rawalpindi Division has reached 360. Development projects proposed by the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and District Council have also been cancelled as authorities reassess spending priorities amid limited financial resources. The financial pressure has also delayed finalisation of Rawalpindi’s District Development Plan for fiscal year 2026-27, leaving several planned infrastructure interventions outside the current development framework. Among the major projects affected is the proposed Murree Road Signal Free Corridor, which was expected to improve traffic movement along one of Rawalpindi’s busiest urban arteries. Plans to expand service lanes between Liaquat Bagh and Chandni Chowk have also been dropped. Several proposed underpasses have suffered the same fate. These include underpasses at Chandni Chowk, the Murree Road and Rawal Road intersection and Murree Chowk, as well as a proposed underpass intended to connect Double Road with Ninth Avenue. The government has also shelved the Rs 800 million Leh Expressway project and a proposed multi storey parking plaza at Liaquat Bagh. The parking facility was intended to address growing parking pressure in the congested commercial areas surrounding Liaquat Bagh and Murree Road. The Rawalpindi Development Authority had proposed major development projects worth around Rs 8 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. However, the projects were excluded from both the Annual Development Programme and District Development Plan because of funding limitations and stringent requirements for approval of their PC-Is. The cancellation of the projects could affect planned improvements to Rawalpindi’s urban road network, particularly along Murree Road and other heavily congested corridors where growing traffic volumes have increased pressure on existing infrastructure. Financial constraints are being compounded by a sharp increase in construction costs. Prices of key building materials, including steel, cement, iron bars, sand and gravel, have risen significantly, while labour and transportation expenses have also increased. As a result, estimated costs of several development projects have reportedly risen by between 40 and 50 percent, making it increasingly difficult for authorities to implement schemes within previously calculated budgets. The escalation in construction costs also means that postponing the projects may make their eventual implementation more expensive. Projects prepared on the basis of earlier cost estimates may no longer remain financially or technically viable under existing feasibility studies and planning documents. If the government decides to revive the shelved schemes during fiscal year 2027-28, authorities are expected to undertake fresh feasibility studies and prepare revised PC-Is reflecting updated construction costs and technical requirements. Preparing new feasibility studies and project documents could itself require expenditure running into millions of rupees before physical construction can begin. The latest development highlights the growing impact of fiscal pressures and construction cost inflation on Rawalpindi’s infrastructure pipeline, with several projects aimed at easing congestion and improving urban mobility now facing an uncertain timeline.