PHOTO: FILE
A high-level meeting of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was held at its headquarters on Sunday to review development projects in the capital following overnight instructions from Prime Minister Imran Khan to expedite development projects in the city.
During the meeting, it was told that the Project Concept-I (PC-1) for Sector I-15 will be presented before the CDA Development Working Party (DWP) for approval while the engineering wing has been directed to start development work in Sectors E-12 and I-15 by the end of the current fiscal year.
The CDA-DWP is expected to be held in the next fortnight.
CDA Chairman and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Chief Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed directed to issue next week tenders for the different development projects, including for the construction of the underpasses between Sectors G-7 and G-8, an interchange at the Rawal Dam Chowk and widening the IJ Principal Road as part of the Road Traffic Management System project worth Rs27.65 million.
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The meeting also gave the green light for releasing funds for a host of pending projects, with a focus on sector development.
Later, CDA Chairman along with senior officials of other departments later visited the Attaturk Avenue extension project site in Sector G-6.
He instructed the CDA Roads director and other related departments to manage traffic at the State Bank Chowk until development work on the avenue is finished. Traffic Engineering director and Traffic Planning director were told to develop plans in this regard within a week.
Earlier last week, the CDA-DWP had met to approve several infrastructure projects in the federal capital including project concept-I (PC-I) for the construction of the Orchard Scheme along Murree Road worth Rs.81.159 million.
A PC-II worth Rs13.827 million had been approved to build an interchange at Rawal Dam Chowk in addition to revamping of Murree Road. The project’s name will be ‘Traffic Management System for Rawal Dam Chowk and Park Road’. Similarly, a PC-II worth Rs27.653 million was approved to hire a consultant for the IJ Principal Road widening project to devise its feasibility study and prepare detailed engineering design for the road’s rehabilitation.
The CDA-DWP also agreed in principle to extend the time for a project to build two underpasses, between Sector G-7 and G-8 and between Sectors F-7 and F-8 on Faisal Avenue. However, the cost and location of the project will remain unchanged.
The authority also deferred approval for building an intersection at Seventh Avenue with Khayaban-e-Suharwardi and Kashmir Highway. Instead, it was decided to grant the consultants more time.
The authority also approved five pedestrian bridges and directed to present a revised PC-I of the project. The issue was presented as an ex-agenda item.
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Stopping slum expansion
Following directions from the federal government, CDA has decided to conduct operations on a daily-basis to curtail the further expansion of slums in the city apart from monitoring developments therein.
The special teams created for this purpose continued their operations during the weekend and demolished several illegal constructions being built in Sector G-7 “Shopper Colony” on Saturday.
Monitoring teams further observed an illegal extension of a wall in a slum in France colony, Sector F-7/4. The illegally extended portion of the wall was demolished.
Similarly, monitoring teams visited slums in Sarai-e-Aam, Sector G-7/2, Bank Colony Sector G-7/1, Musharraf Colony, Katchi Abadi Sector G-8/1, Katchi Abadi Sector G-6/2, 100-Quarters and also inspect slums in Sector F-6 where monitoring teams did not find any new constructions.
Officials explained that residents of slums take advantage of weekly holidays to start work on illegal structures, however, the special teams will help counter such construction before they become finished structures.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2019.
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