CDA proposes City Centre for Islamabad

[Salman]

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has submitted a plan to the prime minister to give the federal capital a ‘City Centre’.

CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal told ‘The News’ on Wednesday that the ‘City Centre’ would be developed in Sector F-12 with inclusion of a portion of Sector F-13 for which a complete plan along with maps has been finalised. “The plan has already been submitted to Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for his final nod,” said the CDA chief while disclosing the plan.
Farkhand Iqbal said the mega project of ‘City Centre’ would be taken up during a presentation to be given to the prime minister on October 5.

The official said the CDA expects that the development of the ‘City Centre’ would attract trillions of rupees local and foreign investment, adding that the civic body would start further progress on the plan once it is okayed by the prime minister.
Giving details of the plan, the CDA chairman said the ‘City Centre’ would be of circle shape having shopping centres, high-rise buildings, provision for cultural activities, food courts with outlets of international chains. “It is the biggest project ever taken up by the CDA and we expect an investment of Rs40 trillion,” Farkhand Iqbal said.

About problems of land acquisition and compensation to the owners of Built-up Property (BuP) on the land, which falls in Sector F-12, he said they have also chalked out a plan to address this issue. “I view of heavy investment, which we expect, the compensation to the affected people is not a big issue,” he said.

The CDA chairman, however, was not happy over the hurdles, which he has been facing in accomplishing his envisaged development plans. “We have not asked for any money from the government, but still we face problems in giving a practical shape to the development projects,” he said adding that all targets could be achieved if hurdles are not created in the way.

The CDA chairman further informed that the federal capital would have an affordable and modern bus service by the end of next month provided the project is not hit by snags. “I hope the project will get through if hurdles are not created in its way,” he said.

He said that projects of extension of railway track from Sector I-9 to Blue Area, solid waste management project, which is on top of his development agenda, and a 100 Mega Watt Power House for Islamabad were suffering due to such hurdles. “We should not face problems in having a power house in Islamabad as 90 per cent cost of the project can be met through the foreign direct investment,” he said.