Islamabad Expressway inaugurated: Govt determined to make Islamabad a model city: PM

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Lauds CDA for completing project ahead of schedule
* CDA chairman says design of two more interchanges prepared
* Kashmir Highway to be widened to five lanes
* Land acquisition for 10 new sectors started

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The government is determined to make Islamabad a model city and bring a change here within months, said Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Rs 1,238 million Islamabad Expressway. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, Law Minister Farooq H Naek and Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Benazir Income Support Programme Chairwoman Farzana Raja, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari and senior officials of CDA were also present on this occasion.

Gilani assured the Capital Development Authority (CDA) that the government would provide all kind of support to it in execution of development projects.

He said the government had kicked off a number of development project from Karachi to Khyber and the inauguration of Islamabad Expressway was an example. He lauded CDA for completing the eight kilometers long Expressway before the stipulated time.

He said the expressway would play an improve role in easing flow in the city. The expressway is the main artery of Islamabad and through it 160,000 vehicles carrying approximately million of people travel to their destinations daily, he said.

CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan said the authority had started construction of Islamabad Expressway from Faizabad interchange to Karal Chowk, with two rigid lanes for heavy traffic and three soft lanes for light traffic, on April 10, 2008 and its completion date was April 2009, but CDA completed the project well ahead of the deadline.

Two more interchanges: He said CDA had prepared the design plan for construction of two more interchanges, one on 7th Avenue at Khayaban-e-Suhrawardy intersection and the other on 9th Avenue at Peshawar Mor intersection. The CDA will display these designs at Convention Centre by February 15 this year for views and opinion of general public and media, he said.

Kashmir Highway: He said the Kashmir Highway would be widened to five lanes between Peshawar Mor and 7th Avenue intersections.

Khan said a double road would also be constructed from Nicholson Monument GT Road to Sector E-7 along the foothills of Margalla for provision of rapid and smooth access to capital city and Khayaban-e-Iqbal would be joined with the GT Road.

New sectors: Khan said to control growing housing problems in the city the CDA had started acquisition of land for launching 10 new sectors. CDA has expedited development work in the already launched sectors, he said.

He said CDA had started three-year Green and Clean Islamabad Project to raise awareness among the general public on environmental issues. “The project will play an important role in the beautification of the city,” he added.

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