Islamabad chamber against setting up medical city in I-17

Says no need to change status of industrial area, use Sector H-17 for the purpose

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has shown great concerns over the CDA Board’s recent approval for allocation of entire Sector I-17 for setting up a medical city.

“The Sector I-17 was earmarked for development of an industrial estate in Islamabad,” said ICCI President Sheikh Amir Waheed.

Prime Minister Shahid Khanqan Abbasi on Thursday agreed in principle to set up National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Medical City during a briefing by its Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Imran Majeed.

Earlier, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Board on Wednesday had approved allocating entire Sector I-17 for the planned medical city.

Waheed, however, reminded that CDA had acquired 5,000 kanals of land in Sector I-17 for the development of industrial estate and had paid around Rs7 billion for its acquisition while 3,000 kanal more land was to be acquired in Noon Village for this project. However, after making so much efforts and progress, de-notifying Sector I-17 as industrial sector and allocating it for medical city was not a wise decision as it has created disappointment in the prospective investors of the region.

He said in 2009 CDA, ICCI, Economic Reforms Unit of Finance Division and National Industrial Parks Development and Management Company of Punjab held meetings to develop a new industrial estate in I-17 and public-private partnership model was also considered to execute this project. He said the business community of the federal capital was looking towards CDA to announce the development of new industrial estate in I-17, but the recent decision of CDA Board has dashed all their hopes.

“Setting up a medical city was a laudable step of the government as it will provide better healthcare to the people,” the ICCI president said but urged the CDA consider Sector H-17 for the purpose and let Sector I-17 stay an industrial area.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2018.