Traders demand civic amenities in markets

Water, sanitation and clean public bathrooms are absent in many upscale and low-end markets of the capital

ISLAMABAD: Traders have accused the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of ignoring business centres and markets, which they say are devoid of basic civic amenities.

Water, sanitation and clean public bathrooms — though basic needs of a commercial area — are absent in many upscale and low-end markets of the capital. “The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has long ignored maintenance and repairs in shopping hubs due to which not only the business community but customers too are facing problems,” Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) former senior vice president Khalid Chaudhary said.

Due to lack of proper maintenance, the condition of commercial centres has deteriorated, he said pointing to flowing sewers and heaps of trash visible in many commercial markets.

Chaudhary urged the CDA to form a task force to expedite development work in commercial centres of the federal capital. He said many sectors in Islamabad including G-7, F-6, G-6 and G-8 were developed about 20 to 25 years ago and require an infrastructure upgrade.

“The state of sanitation is pathetic as gutters are seen overflowing in many markets and CDA is paying no attention to remedy the situation. The only sewerage machine is also faulty. Many markets are without toilets, while the condition of available toilets is very poor on account of wear and tear due to which customers and their families face great problems,” Chaudhary said.

He maintained that the CDA was collecting sufficient tax from these business centres but was not using this money to develop the markets.

The former ICCI official said the current sewerage and water supply systems are more than 40 years old and were unable to meet the needs of rising population, which had more than doubled over the past 20 years.

He appealed to Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz and CDA Member Planning Asad Kiyani — who is also Chief Metropolitan Officer (CMO) of the local government — to issue orders for starting developmental works in the markets and that a task force should be built to
expedite work.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2017.