Suggested slug: rawalpindi-utilities-road-digging-ban

Category: National

Focus keyphrase: Rawalpindi road cutting ban

SEO title: Rawalpindi Bars Utilities from Digging Up Roads Without NOC (55 chars)

Meta description: Rawalpindi’s commissioner has barred utility departments from road cutting without permission and an NOC, ordering restoration within 15 days. (140 chars)

Tags: Rawalpindi, road cutting, NOC, utilities, Commissioner Rawalpindi, infrastructure, SNGPL, Wasa

Original element: local angle — what the ban means for Rawalpindi residents who live with perpetually dug-up roads, plus the new coordination mechanism explained

Utilities in Rawalpindi Barred from Digging Up Roads Without Permission

RAWALPINDI: The divisional administration on Thursday barred utility departments from digging up roads without prior permission, telling all agencies that no development work would commence without road-cutting permission and a no-objection certificate (NOC).

Commissioner Rawalpindi Salman Ghani issued the directive at a meeting held to review road-cutting permissions and the management of underground utility lines by government departments.

Repeated digging wastes public money, says commissioner

Ghani said repeated road cutting in urban areas caused inconvenience to the public and created traffic congestion, besides wasting public resources. All departments must ensure comprehensive planning and effective coordination before undertaking any road-cutting activity, he said.

He directed that all departments, organisations and service providers requiring road cutting for the installation, relocation or repair of their services must be brought on board through a coordinated mechanism.

“All relevant departments must share timely information regarding their upcoming projects and underground utility lines to avoid the need to excavate newly constructed roads,” he said.

Thrust boring preferred; 15-day restoration deadline

The commissioner stressed that road cutting must remain the last resort. Wherever feasible, modern alternative techniques, including thrust boring and ducting, should be adopted to minimise damage to road surfaces and infrastructure.

Where road cutting is permitted under unavoidable circumstances, the affected road must be restored to its original standard and strength. All restoration work, including refilling and reconstruction, must be completed within 15 days of the road cutting, he directed.

Permissions granted — with tight deadlines

During the meeting, several pending requests were decided with strict completion timelines:

• PTCL’s request for an NOC for work in Shah Khalid Colony Phase II was approved, with a two-day completion deadline.
• Wasa was granted permission to lay a 12-inch-diameter sewer line at Al-Khidmat Al-Razi Children’s Hospital, with work to be completed within seven days under all circumstances and an alternative traffic route provided during construction.
• A request for an NOC to reactivate the colony’s sewerage line on Mushtaq Baig Shaheed Road was considered, with a two-day completion timeline.
• SNGPL was granted permission to carry out work in 10 localities, including Pirwadhai, Novelty Cinema, Khurshid Cinema, Chhajji Mohalla, Asghar Mall, Fazalabad, Dhoke Hukamdad, Dhoke Kala Khan and Chandni Chowk.

Ghani added that utility shifting and road-cutting requirements must be incorporated into the initial planning stages of all major development projects. Joint meetings of all departments must be held before any project begins, he directed, so that roads are not excavated again after project completion.

Why this matters for Rawalpindi

Anyone who drives in Rawalpindi knows the pattern: a road is carpeted, and within weeks it is dug up again — first for a gas line, then for sewerage, then for telecom cables. Each round leaves patches that sink, crack and flood in the rain. The commissioner’s order targets exactly this cycle by forcing departments to share their underground plans in advance and treating road cutting as the last resort rather than the default.

The directive lands as the city juggles several large projects at once, including the Rawalpindi Ring Road, whose inauguration is expected on October 28 — a project that has already seen toll plaza delays. For residents, the real test will be the 15-day restoration rule: whether dug-up roads are actually rebuilt to their original standard, or simply patched over as before. The coordination model echoes the planning now expected on other major urban works, from Peshawar’s newly opened Hayatabad underpass to telecom rollouts governed by PTA’s revised review framework.