The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to start work on the ‘Alexander Road,’ connecting Islamabad with the Haripur district, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to open this project alongside the newly-built Margalla Avenue.
There is a well-known Alexander Well on the border of Islamabad and Haripur, which is why the road is also known as Alexander Road. This road, however, does not yet have an official name.
According to sources, the CDA has planned the inauguration of the newly built Margalla Avenue as well as the expansion and refurbishment of Shah Allah Ditta to Kentla Road. This 7.5-kilometre road will be built all the way to Kenthla, where it will be connected to Haripur in the future.
We will construct this road in the jurisdiction of Islamabad and it will end at the border of Islamabad and Haripur near Kenthla well. On the other side, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is already constructing a road, which could be merged with our road to link Islamabad with Haripur, a CDA engineer SAID.
He stated that the road’s Notice Inviting Period (NIT) cost is roughly Rs380 million and that once started, it will be completed in four months.
Moreover, there is currently a local road that is utilised by the locals. However, CDA is presently planning to renovate it and make it a fully wider road. Its expansion and renovation will benefit tourism in the area, as the centuries-old Buddha Caves are also situated in Shah Allah Ditta.
Meanwhile, there is a need for tight regulation to control development activities throughout the length of this route.
Widening of this road is fine. But there should be no relaxation in rules related to the construction of buildings. According to existing rules, in Zone III, construction could not take place. There is a need to fully enforce these rules after the construction of the road, otherwise, the existing greenery of Margalla Hills will surely fall victim to the developer mafia, an official said.
He also mentioned that some wealthy and well-connected people owned land along the route, Therefore, there is a need to ensure implementation of CDA bylaws and there should be no relaxation in construction work in the area. Otherwise, the ecosystem will be destroyed.