Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Monday directed the concerned departments to start working on Rawalpindi’s Ring Road and Lai Nullah Expressway projects at the earliest, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

He was chairing a high-level meeting in Lahore convened to review development schemes of the garrison city.  

The meeting was told that earlier the Lai Nullah Expressway project was estimated to have been completed at the cost of Rs110 billion. But now on the directives of the CM, the project would cost only Rs46 billion, it was informed.

The chief minister, on the occasion, directed that transparency and proper utilization of government funds be ensured during the construction of the Ring Road. “It should also be made sure that no inconvenience is caused to the people living in the vicinity of site of the project,” Chaudhry Pervaiz ordered. 

He added that other roads would be expanded too to rid people of the city of traffic problems. “We will also discuss the proposal to build homes for the people who would be displaced due to work on these projects,” he informed. 

The CM was of the view that stopping work on a clean drinking water project for the residents of Murree amounted to ‘criminal negligence.'

“The Punjab government also plans to launch a similar project in Rawalpindi,” he told the meeting.        

Reporter: Ali Akbar