The Rawalpindi district administration has revised school timings across the city and cantonment areas to help manage traffic flow, affected by the ongoing Kachehri Chowk development work including the construction of an underpass and an overhead bridge.
According to a notification issued by Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, all government and private schools will now begin at 7:45am and close at 12:45pm — one hour earlier than the usual time. The change of timings will take effect from Thursday, and all institutions have been instructed to strictly follow.
Officials said the decision aims to reduce congestion and ensure students’ safety during peak construction activity. “Adjusting school timings will help ease pressure on major roads and allow smoother traffic flow,” the notification stated.
New working hours for government offices and courts have also been announced. According to the new timings, certain government offices will open at 9:00am, as simultaneous reporting times for schools and offices was causing severe gridlock in the city.
The initiative forms part of a broader traffic management plan designed to minimise disruption during the Kachehri Chowk project. The City Traffic Police have already diverted the traffic to other routes and deployed over 450 wardens and officers in three shifts to ensure swift flow of traffic. Authorities said the measure will remain in place until construction activities are completed and normal traffic conditions are restored.
The closure of routes due to the construction of the ‘state-of-the-art’ Kachehri underpass and flyover continued to cause serious disruption of traffic in Rawalpindi, with ambulances and school vans stranded in long queues. After the traffic police proved completely overwhelmed on the first day, the Military Police took control of Kachehri Chowk, Jhanda Chowk, the Governor’s Annex, Mall Road and the Old Airport Road area on Tuesday.
The Military Police opened a narrow passage exclusively for motorcycles, offering some respite. Women and other stranded commuters began opting for bike-hailing services through this corridor, sharply increasing demand. Citywide commercial, business and social activities remained paralysed. Narrow inner-city lanes now resemble main arteries due to the diverted traffic, making movement — especially for children — extremely difficult.
Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema said that traffic condition has improved now as compared with the first day. He expressed hope that disruptions would diminish within next few days. Meanwhile, traders’ associations have urged that the busiest routes be converted into one-way corridors to ease congestion.
Published in Express Tribune on November 5th, 2025.
