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The Rawalpindi District Council, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Municipal Corporation, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), and the District Development Committee were unable to initiate 13 development projects in the city, cantonment, and rural areas in 2025, despite numerous announcements made throughout the year, according to a report by The Express Tribune (TET).
These major projects have now been postponed to the 2026 development agenda. Throughout the year, officials from these organisations continued to make ambitious statements and provided updates to the media about the imminent start of these initiatives, yet they have now vanished from public view. The delayed projects include the Leh Expressway, Mother and Child Hospital, Ghazi Brotha Water Project, Daducha Dam Project, Chahan Dam Water Supply Scheme, completion of the Ring Road, five commercial parking facilities, restoration of the historic Sajjan Singh Building, rainwater storage initiatives, a comprehensive sewerage system including a sewerage tunnel and wastewater recycling project, and the rehabilitation of deteriorating government school buildings that have remained in neglected condition for over two decades, as reported by TET. Additionally, the Miyawaki forest initiative, which aimed to reduce environmental pollution, and a profitable poultry-farming programme that had been operational for four years, were entirely discontinued. The initial estimated cost of the Leh Expressway was Pakistani currency (PKR) 17 billion, which has now escalated to PKR 70 billion. The sewerage tunnel project cost rose from PKR 30 billion to PKR 50 billion. The Ghazi Brotha Water Project, initially estimated at PKR 19 billion, has surpassed Rs 100 billion, making it unfeasible. The Daducha Dam project's cost increased from Rs6 billion to PKR 15 billion, while the budget for rainwater storage projects surged from Rs100 million to PKR 500 million, as noted by the TET report. The Mother and Child Hospital absorbed PKR 10 billion, with its structure, air-conditioning, and all construction completed; however, machinery worth PKR 1.5 billion remains pending. Following the change in administration, the project was put on hold, and costs to renovate the machinery have now surged to PKR 4 billion. The restoration expenditure for the historic Sajjan Singh Building increased from PKR 5 million to PKR 20 million. The 38-kilometre Ring Road was expected to be finished by December 31, 2025, but progress was halted due to financial shortages. Its new completion date is now March 31, 2026, along with a substantial increase in projected costs. As a result of these delays, residents of Rawalpindi continue to experience significant water shortages and persistent traffic congestion. No developmental funds were allotted to the District Council Rawalpindi, RDA, WASA, or the Municipal Corporation this year. Consequently, 2025 turned out to be an exceedingly disappointing year for Rawalpindi in terms of development, according to the TET report. Engineer Qamarul Islam, Convener of the District Development Coordination Committee and MNA, stated that, for the first time, a government focused on people-friendly development has assumed office in Punjab. He expressed confidence that all these projects would commence in the forthcoming year. He emphasised that the upcoming fiscal budget would be entirely geared towards development, as highlighted by the TET report. (ANI)
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