Margalla Avenue Project’s Contractor Halts Work Over Financial Dispute

Islamabad (HRNW) The construction work on the Margalla Avenue project has been halted once again due to unresolved issues.

The contractor has stopped working on the site as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to settle a dispute with local landowners over access roads.

The physical progress of the project is 95% complete, except for a one-kilometer patch, but due to the dispute, the project’s inauguration, which was scheduled for March 2023, has been delayed.

It has been revealed that the local landowners near Shah Allah Ditta have been at odds with CDA over direct access from the main Margalla Avenue or a dedicated service road from the Shah Allah Ditta underpass.

The CDA’s Enforcement Directorate was assigned to clear this portion of land to resume construction work, but they were unable to do so due to the resistance of the locals.

Furthermore, it has been disclosed that the contractor is hesitant to continue work on the project due to the outstanding financial liabilities owed to the civic authority. Some officers are damanding 35 percent.

CDA has been asked to pay the contractor before construction work can resume on the site.

It is important to note that the 10.4 kilometer long Margalla Avenue road is being constructed by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) at a cost of Rs 2 billion from GT Road to D-12.

According to the PC-I of the project, it was expected to be completed by June last year.

Initially, the road was planned to be two lanes, but the scope of work was later expanded to three lanes on each side, resulting in a six-month extension for the contractor, which expired on December 30.