Civic agency to start a new road to nowhere

[Salman]

Civic agency to start a new road to nowhere

ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The managers of Capital Development Authority (CDA) invariably fail to learn lessons from the grave financial mistakes made by their predecessors and the case is no different with the newly-recruited chairman who is all set to embark on a shaky project: the construction of Khayaban-i-Margalla from G.T. Road to Sector D-12.

The first project to be initiated by CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal is slated to cost at least Rs500 million. “In a letter to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the CDA has requested him for a suitable date to place a plaque on the Margalla Road,” a federal official close to the development told Dawn.

The insistence of the new management to go for the road construction in an underdeveloped sector is surprising given that at least eight development projects are under the scrutiny of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) assisted by its engineering fraud division.

Criticism is also being heaped at the choice of the project given that two major roads – Kashmir Highway and I.J. Principal Road – equally link the capital with G.T Road as well as the motorways that are in a state of disrepair. Despite several deadlines, the roads have neither been rebuilt nor being widened.

When a Planning Commission wing official was asked whether the road was required, he replied: “Obviously not since there is no population on this four-kilometre patch which will also touch the G.T. Road. Besides, Sector D-12 has been awaiting the completion of its development for the last 28 years.”

Another official also claimed that there was no environmental assessment report of this project.”

Meanwhile, a federal government official insinuated that the road might be getting built to facilitate certain landowners: “The engineering of this road project is quite strange since it will cross through land that has been sold in the last four to five years.”

The project, the official said, would largely benefit the palatial farmhouse owners of Shah Allah Ditta since the prices of these farmhouses would shoot up with the construction of Margalla Road.

Raja Ghayyas, a local property dealer, said, “Most of these farmhouses and agriculture land around the D-12 were bought by influential people of the city. Few farmhouses are also owned by former military and civil officials including politicians.

The land purchase geared enormous buying and selling activity within the last four to five years.”

The Planning Commission official hence feels it is imperative that the CDA should thoroughly investigate and ensure that there are no encroachments and also check records of the local land departments to be clear about the ownership of land in the four-kilometer-stretch.

“There is a very real possibility that people will establish fuel stations on their land once it’s completed to benefit elite politicians who own land nearby,” a federal secretary requesting anonymity voiced his concerns.

When member engineering of CDA, Sanaullah Aman, was asked whether the agency was aware of the ownership status of land on the four-kilometre-stretch, he replied: “I don’t know who owns the land because on one side there is the residential sector and on the other there are mountains… at the end somebody may be owning some piece of land.”

When asked who will benefit from such a costly investment, especially as the CDA faced a dire financial crunch and there were other development projects that needed attention, he insisted: “People coming from Peshawar and other cities and G.T. Road will largely benefit from the road since this stretch will shorten the distance to Islamabad. Besides, the residents of Sector D-12 will also benefit from the development of the new road as well as those from sectors C-12 and C-13 close to G.T. Road.”

Given that the projects undertaken in the last few years have been under-researched and poorly executed, the civic agency needs to tread slowly and rethink this project.