By Admin 
The impact of Pakistan’s deteriorating economic condition is now clearly visible on development work as well. Many big infrastructure projects have been stopped in Rawalpindi division of Punjab province. The budget for development has also been cut drastically.
According to the report of Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune, the budget of all the government development agencies of Rawalpindi Division has been reduced in the new fiscal year. The district development programs of Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang and Murree have been cut by about 60 percent.
Which projects were stopped?
According to the report, six big projects have been stopped for now. These include Leh Expressway and Mother and Child Hospital. Both these projects are considered to be related to the area of former Home Minister of Pakistan Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Additionally, work on the Murree Road signal-free corridor is also not expected to begin before December 2027. The plan for an underground sewer tunnel to deal with the waterlogging that occurs every year in Rawalpindi has also been abandoned.
Big water scheme also stopped
The Ghazi Barota Water Project, which was prepared to provide long-term water to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, has also been cancelled. According to the report, its cost had increased from 17 billion Pakistani rupees to around 110 billion rupees.
The government has also banned the expansion of urban forests planted using the Miyawaki method. District administration officials say that no new such urban forest has been created in Rawalpindi and surrounding districts in the last three years.
What will happen next?
If this is the situation in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which is considered an important administrative and military center of the country, then the condition of development works in other cities and areas can be estimated.
According to The Express Tribune report, the government has made it clear to the development agencies that work on these projects will resume only when funds are received from international financial institutions like the World Bank or Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Former Chairman of Rawalpindi Development Authority, Tariq Murtaza, says that during his tenure, projects like Leh Expressway, Sewerage Tunnel and Water Treatment Plant were approved and funds were also fixed. But after the change of government, these schemes were not taken forward.
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