CDA to auction all parking sites in capital

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD: To increase its resources, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to auction all parking stands, taxi and wagon stands in the capital. Initially, a car parking at Shakarparian was auctioned on Thursday, while a schedule for auction of other stands would be made later. The CDA Directorate of Municipal Administration has auctioned the parking site at Shakarparian for Rs 7.2 million per year. The previous year, this site was auctioned for Rs 1.5 million. This year the authority decided to auction the site on strict terms and conditions, which included security of vehicles, beautification of the area, removal of encroachments and lane marking of the area, installation of security system with uniform guards and CCTV cameras. To make the auction successful and save it from any resistance from any mafia, a contingent from the Aabpara Police Station, officials from the Special Branch and representatives of the Directorate of Security were present on the site. The auction committee comprised the Municipal Administration director, audit officer, divisional accounts officer and representatives of CDA Finance and Costing. The auction was successfully conducted and 13 different firms participated in the open bidding process. The highest bid received was Rs 7.2 million per year, which was almost five times higher than the previous bid. CDA Chairman Nadeem Hassan Asif appreciated the cooperation of the ICT administration and the Islamabad police with the CDA for the successful auction and said that transparency would be ensured in all public benefit projects. He said the CDA would ensure maximum involvement of the public to provide them with opportunities to participate in the projects, which would discourage opportunists.