PM Imran wants to end capital’s unplanned expansion

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to control the unwieldy expansion of Islamabad, which has seen its population double over the past two decades and to turn it into a model for the rest of the country.

PM Imran emphasised the provision of basic amenities such as clean drinking water and transport to the locals of Islamabad and adjoining areas. He emphasized on making Islamabad a model city equipped with improved health, transport and educational facilities for its residents.

He was chairing a meeting on improvement in transport, clean drinking water, and development projects in Islamabad on Thursday. Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration Chief Commissioner Aamer Ali Ahmed briefed the prime minister on different ongoing development projects in rural areas of Islamabad.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Adviser on Interior Mirza Shehzad Akbar, special assistants Syed Zulfikar Bukhari and Ali Nawaz Awan, MNA Raja Khurram Shehzad, the CDA chief and other senior officials.

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The premier said that special attention should be paid to improve health and education facilities in the capital.

He also reviewed progress on the pending project of Metro Bus Service (MBS) extension from Peshawar Mor to Islamabad International Airport (IIA).

It was decided in the meeting to establish a Mass Transit Authority (MTA) that would oversee matters about completion, administration, and other related matters of the project. The past government had approved the formation of Capital Mass Transit Authority in 2017.

Last month, the Senate Standing Committee on Planning decided to take joint briefing from three different bodies over delay in the establishment of Capital Mass Transit Authority (CMTA).

The authority was supposed to run bus service to IIA. Presently, people commuting between the federal capital and IIA have to pay Rs1,200 to Rs2,500 to taxis. A suitable public transport would reduce the daily expenses of people working at the airport.

Further, the Prime Minister ordered to expedite work on the project to provide capital water from Ghazi Barotha to overcome the water shortage issue in the federal capital.

So far CDA has selected the lowest bidder as a consultant for the mega project for conduction of water to Islamabad from the Indus River.

PM Imran directed CDA that the matters surfacing due to urban sprawl in Islamabad should be addressed and resolved on a priority basis.

He said that the protection of green areas was among the priorities of the government, directing the related officials to ensure the removal of encroachments in Islamabad. The premier had already ordered an operation against the land mafia in the capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2020.