CDA okays special Covid-19 allowance for staff

Chairman deems public cooperation critical to preventing the spread of pandemic virus

ISLAMABAD:

To facilitate its employees during the ongoing pandemic, the apex civic authority has decided to give a special allowance to its staff for three months.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Chief Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed on Monday announced the special allowance worth Rs1,500 for each employee.

He said that the CDA board had approved the special allowance while recognising the duties of employees during the ongoing second wave of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). The allowance will be provided monthly for a period of three months.

The CDA chairman added that they will use available resources to meet the challenge of the pandemic. However, Ahmed reminded that the virus can only be beaten by strictly following the preventive standard operating procedures (SOPs) prescribed by the government.

The cooperation of the public in this regard, he said, is crucial. He added that employees of CDA are available to serve the public.

Development work continues

Even as the government announced greater restrictions amidst the second wave of Covid-19, the civic authority on Monday said that it has continued development and beautification work in the federal capital.

CDA said that in the past month, it has carpeted major roads, marked lanes, restored street lights and other lights in various parks, upgraded more than 50 parks, added facilities such as clean drinking water, resolved issues being faced by the business community in different markets of the federal capital, conducted an anti-encroachment operation, restored infrastructure and other matters.

Moreover, the authority said that together with the district administration and police of the federal capital, it had conducted several operations against the encroachment and illegal occupation of state land by the land mafia.

Moreover, the CDA said that they have taken steps to resolve the issue of water supply being faced by residents of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2020.