Karachi: DHA Executive Board approves Rs 6.6 billion budget for 2009-10

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: The DHA Executive Board in a meeting on Monday approved a record budget of Rs 6.6 billion for undertaking development works in the DHA for the fiscal year 2009-10.

The development works include infrastructure development of Phase-VIII, construction of a flyover at Ittehad-Korangi Road, a flyover at Sundial Chowk, an underpass at Creek Avenue, repair work of the sea wall along Seaview beach, and construction of Zamzama Shopping Mall Complex and Zamzama Car Parking Plaza.

The meeting chaired by Corps Commander Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal, who is also the president of the executive board, was held at the Corps Headquarters. The executive board was informed that the work on Gizri flyover has almost been completed and it would be opened for traffic in the first week of December. The road works of the project would however be completed by Jan 2010.

The meeting was informed that Creek Vistas, the biggest high-rise residential project of the country having 720 vistas, has been completed and has largely been occupied. The electronic security apparatus system, vehicle access cards and electronic gates are being installed in the project.

Maj Khalid Shaheed Park has also been constructed in the vicinity of Creek Vistas along the coastline. The park is in an advanced stage of completion. The board was informed that demarcation pillars and direction signs have been installed at the site of DHA City on Super Highway.

Boring for water exploration in the area is also in progress with positive and encouraging results. An elegantly fabricated information centre has been established in a container at the project site to provide updated, comprehensive and detailed information about the area and the project. A pilot renewable energy project through windmills has also been established in area for provision of electricity.

The meeting was further informed that work on construction of a dispensary and a community centre in the adjoining village, Goth Allah Dad, at the DHA City site was in progress. The corps commander directed that maximum welfare measures for the local population of the area should be undertaken. He directed the DHA to recruit maximum local youth for jobs in the DHA City project as a welfare measure and to promote goodwill among the local population.

The corps commander asked the DHA to include development of theme parks, artificial lakes, recreational spots with roller coasters and an academic institute of excellence for promotion of knowledge and research in the first phase of DHA City to add to the significance and stature of the new residential estate. The executive board approved establishment of a tissue culture lab in DHA, which envisages a modern method of grooming replica/true plants without help of seeds by regenerating it from a single cell under controlled environment. The pioneering effort would be a stepping-stone forward and bring a revolution in field of agriculture in the country.

The board was informed that computerised archiving of more than 11,8000 plot files held by the DHA transfer and record date was in progress and the archiving of the entire record would be completed by May 2010.

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