The Rawalpindi divisional administration has made prior approval and a no-objection certificate (NOC) mandatory for utility service providers carrying out work that involves cutting or excavating roads. The move aims to prevent repeated digging, reduce traffic disruptions and protect newly constructed roads from unnecessary damage.
Commissioner Rawalpindi Salman Ghani issued the directive during a meeting held to review road-cutting permissions and the installation and management of underground utility lines by government departments and service providers.
Under the instructions, relevant departments and utility companies must obtain permission before starting excavation work. They have also been directed to coordinate their development plans and share information about upcoming projects to avoid repeated digging in the same areas.
The administration has further ordered that roads damaged during approved work must be restored to their original standard, with refilling and reconstruction completed within 15 days.
Prior NOC Required Before Road Excavation
The divisional administration has directed utility service providers to secure the required road-cutting approval and NOC before beginning work involving road excavation.
The requirement applies to development activities that involve installing or maintaining underground utility lines, which can require contractors to dig up roads and other public infrastructure.
The directive is intended to improve coordination between departments and prevent unauthorised excavation. By requiring permission in advance, officials aim to ensure that planned work is reviewed before roads are cut open.
The administration expects government departments and service providers to share their project schedules so that work can be coordinated more effectively.
This approach could help prevent situations in which one department reconstructs a road only for another utility provider to excavate the same stretch shortly afterwards.
Commissioner Highlights Traffic Problems and Public Inconvenience
During the meeting, Commissioner Salman Ghani highlighted the problems caused by repeated excavation across urban areas.
He said frequent road cutting inconveniences residents, disrupts traffic movement and results in the waste of public resources. Roads that are repeatedly dug up can also create additional repair requirements and delays for commuters.
Ghani directed the relevant departments and utility service providers to coordinate their plans and exchange information about upcoming development projects.
The objective is to ensure that essential utility work is planned in advance and that newly constructed roads are not damaged unnecessarily.
Better coordination could also help reduce repeated construction activity in busy areas, where road closures and diversions can affect residents, businesses and daily commuters.
Road Cutting to Be a Last Resort
The commissioner instructed departments to treat road cutting as a last resort and encouraged them to use alternative techniques wherever possible.
These alternatives include thrust boring and ducting, which can allow underground utility lines to be installed while reducing the need to excavate the entire road surface.
Thrust boring is a technique used to install underground pipes or cables beneath roads with less surface disruption. Ducting provides protected pathways through which utility cables and other services can be installed or managed.
The administration’s directive encourages departments to consider such methods when planning development work, particularly in areas where road excavation could affect traffic or recently completed infrastructure.
The aim is to ensure that utility installation continues while limiting avoidable damage to public roads.
Damaged Roads Must Be Restored Within 15 Days
The administration has also established a deadline for repairing roads affected by approved excavation.
Under Commissioner Ghani’s instructions, departments and service providers must restore any road damaged during authorised work to its original standard. Refilling and reconstruction must be completed within 15 days.
The requirement is intended to prevent excavation sites from remaining damaged for extended periods after utility installation has been completed.
Poorly restored roads can create problems for motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Delays in repairing excavated sections can also contribute to traffic congestion and make daily travel more difficult.
The restoration directive places responsibility on the departments and service providers carrying out the work to ensure that affected roads are properly repaired.
PTCL Receives Approval for Shah Khalid Colony Work
During the meeting, the administration approved Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL) request for an NOC to carry out work in Shah Khalid Colony Phase II.
The approved work has been assigned a two-day completion deadline.
The permission forms part of the administration’s process for reviewing excavation requests and setting conditions for work that affects public roads.
The deadline is intended to ensure that the approved activity is completed within the specified period, limiting the time residents may face inconvenience from the work.
WASA Approved to Lay Sewer Line Near Children’s Hospital
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) also received permission to install a 12-inch sewer line at Al-Khidmat Al-Razi Children’s Hospital.
According to the directives issued during the meeting, the work must be completed within seven days.
WASA has also been instructed to ensure that an alternative traffic route remains available while construction is underway.
Maintaining an alternative route is particularly important when excavation affects access to a hospital, as patients, visitors and emergency vehicles may need to reach the facility during construction.
The approval demonstrates how the administration is attaching specific completion deadlines and traffic-management conditions to individual road-cutting projects.
What the New Directives Mean for Rawalpindi
The new instructions place greater emphasis on advance planning, coordination between utility providers and the timely restoration of damaged roads.
For residents, the intended benefits include fewer repeated excavations, less disruption to traffic and quicker repairs after underground utility work is completed.
For government departments and service providers, the directive means that excavation work must be planned with the relevant authorities before it begins. They must also consider alternatives to road cutting and comply with the deadlines and restoration requirements imposed for approved projects.
The effectiveness of the measures will depend on how consistently the approval process is enforced and whether departments complete their work within the prescribed time limits.
For now, the Rawalpindi divisional administration has made its position clear: road excavation must be approved in advance, unnecessary cutting should be avoided, and roads affected by authorised work must be restored within the stipulated timeframe.
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