Capital greenlights key uplift projects

CDA Board approves construction of parking plaza, shops near Centaurus Mall

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Board on Thursday approved the construction of a parking plaza and shops on a plot it owns adjacent to the Centaurus Shopping Mall, the purchase of two transplanters to move trees causing hindrances in development projects to another location, and auctioning of more than 35 commercial plots in different business centres.

The decisions were taken at a meeting held at the CDA Headquarters under the chair of CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa. All members attended the meeting. Various agenda items were taken into consideration in the meeting.

The CDA Board accorded approval to auction commercial plots. The authority chairman directed to include commercial plots of different categories in the auction for investment. He further directed that commercial plots of different categories would be auctioned on two-year easy instalments.

He said that it should be ensured that the plots offered for auction are equipped with all basic amenities and there should be no encroachments on the plots offered for auction.

The board meeting also approved the purchase of two transplanters to shift the trees coming under development projects to alternative places. The chairman directed to complete the work for purchasing transplanters. Earlier, CDA used to rent transplanters from different departments for relocating trees. Randhawa further said that after the procurement of transplanters, trees would be relocated to alternative places in a short time.

The CDA Board further approved the construction of a parking plaza on a plot adjacent to Centaurus Mall with the CDA chairman's direction to construct commercial shops in the parking plaza. He also directed a plan to construct a parking plaza in Sector I-8.

It has been reported that a CDA-owned plot worth billions of rupees adjacent to the Centaurs Shopping Mall was being used for parking by a private shopping mall. During the tenure of the former Mayor of the Municipal Corporation Sheikh Ansar Aziz, 20 kanals of government land were also recovered from the private shopping mall.

Other constructions, including alleged residential quarters for security guards, were built on this land, which were demolished by the CDA. The vacant CDA plot is still being used as a parking lot for the same private shopping mall.

The CDA Board has decided to save the costly plot from land grabbing, and encroachment by constructing government parking plazas and commercial shops. The move will also help in increasing the sources of income for the CDA.