CDA plans quality hostels, university towns in Capital

[LahoreEstate]

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, Saturday, said that CDA had planned different options to develop Islamabad as a model city and one of these choices was to make the federal capital an Education City.
He said this while addressing the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).
Elahi said quality university towns and hostels were being planned in Islamabad to attract students and to generate more economic activities. “Businessmen are the backbone of Islamabad’s economy and CDA, in consultation with ICCI, will resolve business community’s problems to facilitate them for promotion and growth of business activities to ultimately make Islamabad a dynamic and vibrant city,” he said.
Dilating on other options, he said Islamabad had good potential to attract tourists and CDA had planned to upgrade some alternative scenic spots like that of Daman-e-Koh to promote tourism.
To facilitate the tourists to visit the attractions of Islamabad, world standard double-decker buses would be arranged, he said.
Imtiaz Inayat Elahi said CDA had also planned a mass-transit system in Islamabad comprising environment-friendly trains or buses so that people could get quality transport facility and all segments of society could prefer to commute on these buses instead of using their personal vehicles.
He said water management would be improved and would be backed with water conservation initiatives as Islamabad consumed 200 million gallons of water per day while 50 per cent water was wasted due to poor water management.
He said no commercial organisation could run its affairs without economic viability and to improve its financial strength, CDA had planned many sustainable income-generating investments.
In his welcome address, Mian Shaukat Masud, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) highlighted the problems being faced by the business community from CDA and urged their immediate resolution so that businessmen could easily promote business and economic activities in Islamabad.
Businessmen demanded construction of Industrial Estate in I-17 Sector, commercialisation and bifurcation of industrial plots along with permission to construct multi-storey buildings in I-9 and I-10 after shifting of industries to new industrial estate, construction of residential plazas for small traders, improvement in infrastructure like water & sewerage systems, overhead bridges and underpasses, roads, parks, car parking facilities in markets etc and stressed the need of developing proper liaison between CDA and business community for resolving problems with joint efforts.

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