Generating energy: CDA to provide alternate land for grid station

Construction of grid station in park was challenged in Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to provide an alternate land to Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (IESCO) for the construction of 132 KV grid station in sector G-9, which was earlier decided for sector F-9.

“We are ready to solve genuine issues of Centaurus Mall including provision of electricity and water,” CDA Planning Member Asad Mehmood Kiyani told The Express Tribune. He also said that a new site for the construction of a grid station had been proposed in Sector G-9, while an exclusive tube well was being installed near Centaurus Mall to supply water to the multi-storey commercials complex.

The CDA is bound under an agreement with Pak-Gulf Construction, the builders of Centaurus, to provide utilities including electricity and water.

The construction of a grid station in F-9 park has remained a contentious issue. In 2011, the CDA came up with the idea of setting up a grid station, but later in October, the idea was challenged in the Supreme Court objecting that a grid station would harm the park’s environment and endangered the lives of visitors.

However, in December 2015, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) issued an NOC to Iesco for the construction of a grid station in a public park, in violation of a previous Supreme Court’s decision that public park land could not be used for any other purpose.

“It seems that the city managers have now given up the idea of constructing grid station in F-9 Park, as CDA continued construction work even after the verdict of Supreme Court in 2011 had clearly stated that public parks cannot be used for commercial activities,” Bilal-e-Haq of Islamabad Green Force told The Express Tribune.

He also said that if the proposed project was not undertaken, Iesco will not be able to cope with increasing electricity demand in the future, as the existing system is overloaded.

A representative of Pak-Gulf clarified that the proposed project was not Centaurus-specific and the site selection of the project was done by CDA. He stated that the process of site selection for the establishment of proposed grid station started in 2005 but could not complete due to the non-availability of electricity.

He further added that the Centaurus project management has been evaluating other options to meet its requirement.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2017.