Islamabad and CDA’s performance

[Salman]

Islamabad and CDA’s performance

THE Capital Development Authority, one of the most prestigious public-sector organisations in the country, is again in the news for mismanagement and bungling in the allotment of expensive plots.

The CDA was established in 1960 to build the national capital. A capital city is always more than physical infrastructure, that is, roads and buildings. It should have recreational facilities, parks and playgrounds and civic amenities, schools and hospitals for the residents of the most important city in the country.

Cultural dimension is also crucial for a national capital. Unfortunately, this development agency has miserably failed to build and maintain properly the national capital. The capital is divided into elite zones, where the rich and powerful people live, and areas where underprovided live and suffer. Most of the budget and resources of the Authority are reserved for the elite sectors.

From a simple city, Islamabad has become a complex one where residing, working and travelling are becoming difficult with the passage of time. The basic necessity of clean drinking water is beyond the reach of residents in certain areas.

Zone V is the most neglected part of the capital. The majority of the population is having a hard time in Islamabad. There could be many reasons for this state of affairs. One of them is that the Authority never got a committed and professional management. It has always been treated like any other government organisation. Bureaucrats are running it whimsically. Policies and practices of these babus have turned most of the capital into ghettos.

Some time back, there was a chairman who was very generous in doling out plots to his friends. He is known for calling even junior officials in the secretariat to apply for a plot. Such CDA bosses have played havoc with the CDA assets and the master plan.

Since there is no accountability mechanism in place, CDA bosses have mutilated the face of the capital. It used to be a beautiful city which has now turned into an ugly spot. Had the media been paying no attention, CDA administrators would have turned Islamabad into a big slum. There should be a competent forum to select the chairman of the Capital Development Authority.