Islamabad: Prime minister pleased with CDA’s performance

[Naveed Yaseen]

Mobarik A. Virk
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed satisfaction over the progress made on the on-going as well as the up-coming development projects being undertaken by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) during the last three months.

CDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Khan on Wednesday gave a comprehensive briefing to the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani about the last three-month performance of the CDA on its on-going projects as well as the ones planned to be taken up ahead in near future.

According to the sources in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat the briefing lasted for over 90 minutes during which Chairman Tariq Mahmood informed the Prime Minister about a number of up-coming mega projects to be undertaken in the federal capital. All the six members of the CDA Board as well as the secretary to the CDA Board were also present in the briefing.

Chairman Tariq Mahmood briefed the Prime Minister Gilani about the ambitious plan of constructing high-rise buildings along the Islamabad Highway from ‘Zero Point’ right up to ‘Rawat’ and from ‘Zero Point’ right up to ‘Tarnol’ (touching the Grand Trunk (GT) Road on both sides) just as has been done in the Middle East, particularly in Dubai.

He said that the ‘Defence Housing Authority’ (DHA) and the management of the ‘Bahria Town’ would be partners of the CDA in this project.

He also briefed the prime minister about the extension of Khayaban-e-Iqbal (Margalla Road) up to the Grand Trunk (GT) Road in the west of Islamabad which would immensely facilitate people travelling from not only the western sectors of the federal capital but also those commuting to and from Islamabad to Taxila, Haripur, Wah Cantt and the area beyond.

The tenders for this project, the chairman informed the PM, would be floated within two months and the work would be taken up expeditiously for its completion.

The CDA chief also briefed the prime minister about the project of making the existing four-lane Kashmir Highway, linking the Murree Road in the East to the GT Road near Tarnol in the West into a six-lane expressway. With the construction of the ‘Zero Point Flyover’ and a few underpasses or overhead bridges on this ‘Kashmir Highway’ would facilitate in maintaining a smooth, uninterrupted flow of traffic disgorging from the Motorway.

The CDA chief also briefed the PM about the upcoming Rs8 billion worth ‘Fruit and Vegetable’ market to be set up at Sangjani on the outskirts of the federal capital towards West. If the ‘Khayaban-e-Iqbal’ (Margalla Road) was extended, it would touch this upcoming ‘Fruit & Vegetable’ market.

The prime minister was also informed that if all goes well this project would be completed within one year on ‘Built, Operate and Transfer’ (BOT) basis.

About the upcoming ‘Citizens’ Club’ being built inside the F-9 Park, the CDA chairman told the prime minister that as the load on the lone club in the federal capital, the ‘Islamabad Club’ has become a big burden as it has already has a membership of around 7,000, this upcoming ‘Citizens’ Club’ in F-9 Park will not only help shift the focus from the Islamabad Club but would also help provide an opportunity to those who may wish to have a membership of one such club.

Tariq Mahmood said that the upcoming ‘Citizens’ Club’ in F-9 Park would have all the facilities that are available in the Islamabad Club, may be even better. He said that the criteria to grant membership to this club is being devised by the experts in the CDA with the cooperation of people representing social circles of the federal capital.

The CDA is also planning to construct at least two ‘cineplex’ for screening the movies and revive the ‘cine going culture’ in the federal capital, something which has already become sort of a history with the younger generation that has grown up in the federal capital.

The prime minister also briefed that one ‘cineplex’ will be built in sector F-10 while the other would be build along Murree Road (anywhere between Faizabad inter-change to Bharakahu may be). He said that tenders for these projects would also be floated within next 15 days and the world would be executed expeditiously because it is aimed at providing entertainment to the citizens of the federal capital.

He said that the CDA has also planned to construct ‘Wedding Halls’ in various sectors of the federal capital on ‘Built, Operate and Transfer’ (BOT) basis. “There would be no solid structures build as such for these weeding halls except the washrooms and an appropriate area would be specified where ‘marquee’ would be erected for such functions.”

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154962