RAWALPINDI - City managers have decided to award contract to Mott McDonald Pakistan (MMP), a London-based consultant firm, to conduct feasibility report of the Ring Road II project. The official sources informed TheNation here on Monday that the contract worth Rs19 million, between RDA and MMP, would be signed within a week as the final negotiations are underway with the said company. The company (MMP) has also been asked to thoroughly review the feasibility report and master plan prepared in 1998 and submit its detailed report till December 2009. As per official agreement, consultants would also cover matters pertaining to the land acquisition, appropriate sight for the establishment of economic zone, other possible hurdles and civic problems expected in the near future in the implementation of this project and would produce their recommendations in this effect. It is pertinent to note that initially three firms had been short-listed but at last MMP have been contracted out. Official sources said that Planning and Development Department Punjab (PDDP) has posted a letter bearing number pppc/422 to RDA in which it has termed the 48km long Public and Private Partnership project Ring Road II as the best project of 2009 in the province. PDDP has requested the provincial government to assure all possible support to RDA in the implementation of this mega project, paying heed to this request Chief Minister (CM) Punjab has allocated Rs20 million to RDA for the preparation of feasibility report. The firm has also been asked to conduct feasibility on the Economic Zone along Ring Road II to promote industrial growth. RDA authorities would acquire as many as 2134 acres land, 1015 acres for Economic Zone and 1050 and 1084 for construction of road. Affectees would get half kanal land in compensation against every four kanals. The main hurdle in the way of implementation of this mega project is the land acquisition, after the submission of feasibility report RDA would carry out drive of land acquisition, when this process will conclude then the project will take 3-4 years to complete, sources informed. As it is a public private Partnership project and owing to the political instability and worsening law and order situation in the country investors are reluctant to invest hefty amounts and this hurdle causing a delay in the implementation of this project, however, now as the provincial government and RDA both have accordance and agreed on it so the project will be started soon, it further added. It is worth-mentioning that in 1998 the then PML-N government had initiated the project under Ring Road and RDA officials had also prepared feasibility report and the PC-I of the project but than different factors including political intervention in the acquirement of land for the project and the 1999 military coup created hurdles in perusing the project by RDA. After the hectic efforts of RDA Director General Makeen Shahbaz, incumbent PML-N provincial government has given a nod to this project again under the name Ring Road II. The 48 km Ring Road II would commence from Rawat junction at Islamabad Expressway and terminate at Chakara. When asked why RDA was going to conduct new feasibility report as previous government had also spent million of rupees to prepare PC-I and feasibility, sources said that the massive construction and establishment of hundreds of new residential societies on the route of project have completely changed the ground realities so a new survey report was must. According to available traffic study statistics with the RDA, after the completion of this project around 0.19 million vehicles will not have to pass through the IJ Principal Road, Benazir Bhutto Road and Airport Road. The road would provide over 1.50 million people an easy access to Islamabad and proposed New Islamabad Airport. Regarding the estimated cost on the project sources said that it would be clear after the completion of feasibility study, however, in 1998 it was estimated that an amount of Rs12 billion would be required for the project but now the amount has gone up to Rs20 billion.