CDA fails to execute parking plaza plan in capital

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has not yet given any practical shape to its plan to construct multi-storey parking plazas in the capital to overcome the parking problem.

Like in all other cities, traffic issue is surfacing in the capital. With the increase in population, the needs of consumers are also augmenting, causing much commercial activity in the city.

The shortage of parking space in Blue Area and other major markets of the city, including Aabpara, Super, Jinnah Super and Karachi Company, is not only aggravating traffic problems but also increasing car-lifting incidents in the capital.

Due to shortage of a proper parking place in Blue Area, people park their vehicles far away from their offices, which wastes time.

Most of the people park their vehicles on the roadsides, which often results in traffic jams.

CDA spokesman Ramzan Sajid told APP that the authority’s planning wing had started work on to construction of parking plazas, but they had not yet finalised the project.

According to the plan, the authority was to construct seven parking plazas in different phases, he said.

In the first phase, the civic body had to construct three parking plazas in different parts of Blue Area.

The sites proposed by the CDA for the construction of plazas included one near Muslim Commercial Bank, another near Savour Food and third near a mosque located at some distance from Savour Food.

The spokesman said that the authority was well aware
of the parking issue and was striving to execute projects to resolve it.

He said the CDA had also been urging traders to assist the authority in this regard, as owing to the financial constraints, it had been difficult for the CDA to execute the project from its own resources.

The spokesman said the civic agency was taking all possible measures to provide maximum spaces for parking lots.