469 Trees and 715 Shrubs Relocated as Rs8 Billion Underpass Projects Begin on Peshawar Road Rawalpindi
By Sadia Khan :
In a bid to protect green spaces while enhancing city infrastructure, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has relocated 469 trees and 715 shrubs from Peshawar Road to nearby areas as work on three major underpasses Race Course Park, Army Graveyard, and Chairing Cross valued at Rs8 billion, got underway. The move follows directives from the federal and Punjab governments prohibiting the cutting of trees, after earlier public concerns over deforestation in Islamabad’s Shakarparian.
Cantonment Executive Officer Amir Rasheed told media that the relocation was carried out to safeguard the trees during development. In addition to relocating the healthy vegetation, 74 dead trees were removed, with plans to plant ten new trees for every dead one, following recommendations from the Environment Protection Agency Punjab.
The underpass project affected a diverse mix of species, including pilkan, sheesham, alstonia, peepal, dhariak, shireen, terminalia, conocorpus, eucalyptus, pine, and ashoke trees. Rasheed added that after the underpasses are completed, more than 400 full-grown local trees and shrubs will be planted to restore and enhance the area’s greenery. Existing trees have already been replanted along green belts stretching from Lane 5 to Motorway Chowk, which are being further extended up to Chur Chowk.
Meanwhile, utility relocation work is progressing smoothly. Iesco has completed moving electricity pylons from Chairing Cross to Radio Pakistan, and the task from Qasim Market to Radio Pakistan is expected to finish by the end of February. Other utility providers, including SNGPL, PTCL, and RCB, will lay their lines along a newly constructed dedicated utility corridor by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in front of Race Course Park.
The Punjab Department of Communication and Works has confirmed that formal underpass construction will commence after Eidul Fitr, with the project expected to be completed within 70 days once all utilities, trees, and pylons are relocated. RCB officials have also instructed their Garden Branch to cultivate additional plants in the nursery, ensuring sufficient greenery will be available for replanting after construction concludes in late May.
This initiative highlights Rawalpindi’s commitment to balancing urban development with environmental conservation, ensuring infrastructure expansion does not come at the cost of the city’s green spaces.
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