CDA needs Rs3.6 billion to complete remaining part

[Salman]

Islamabad



The Capital Development Authority (CDA) would require over Rs3.6 billion to complete remaining part of expansion and repair of the Kashmir Highway and to meet a new deadline of 100 days.



The CDA sources said Chairman Nadeem Hassan Asif, who accompanied by the concerned officials visited the project, directed them to complete work in 100 days time.“The deadline set by the chairman is possible to be met, but on condition of availability of over Rs3.6 billion during this period,” an official of the engineering wing said.



The official, however, said the chairman had made a commitment that funds would be made available for the project. So far Rs959 million have been released for the project which was started about three years back, but is yet to see day of the light.



The initial cost of the project when started about three years back was Rs2.1 billion but its revised cost had been raised to Rs4.6 billion. The project involves construction of two rigid lanes for heavy traffic on both sides of nine-kilometre road and three flexible lanes for light traffic.



The federal government had committed half of the initial cost of the project but so far had provided little over Rs600 million. The government had allocated Rs334 million under the Public Sector Development Project (PSDP) for the new financial year.



It has been learnt that the revised cost of the project would be taken up at development working party meeting at the Planning Division on Tuesday (today). The government would approve whether it is going to meet half of the cost of project as per revised estimates of Rs4.6 billion.



The chairman also visited site of the 6.5 kilometre long Margalla Avenue where the CDA is struggling to proceed ahead after removing over 700 houses on right of the road near Sector D-12. “We are facing a big hurdle in the shape of these houses which have been constructed in length of one kilometre,” an official said.



There is also a suggestion to construct a flyover of medium altitude over a graveyard which also falls in right of way of the Margalla Avenue.Later, Nadeem Hassan Asif also visited Sector D-12 and expressed his dissatisfaction over the snail’s pace development work and directed the concerned formations of the authority to expedite the development work in Sector D-12 through effective coordinated efforts among different directorates of CDA.He urged the concerned officers that further delay in development activities in Sector D-12 would not be tolerated at any cost.