Pakistan

Senators to CDA: Ensure project stays green

Various government departments gave approvals within a matter of days.

Danish Hussain March 21, 2014 2 min read

Various government departments gave approvals within a matter of days. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:

A third forum Thursday took up the issue of possible violation of capital’s master plan and destruction of greenbelts at the hands of metro bus project.

Earlier, Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Senate Sub-committee on Human Rights had raised concerns over how the project was being implemented.

After the lukewarm reaction of the city managers to reservations by the two forums, the convener of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat formed a four-member subcommittee under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha to look into the Rs43.20-billion project’s adverse impact on capital’s environment and its master plan.

The committee questioned how and why the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) was mandated to execute the project within the limits of the federal capital.

“The Punjab and federal governments do not trust the CDA. It seems the sole reason behind mandating RDA to oversee the Islamabad’s section of the project despite several legal impediments in this regard,” Senator Dr Saeeda Iqbal said.

Senator Iqbal observed that the CDA had signed the project succumbing to pressure of the Punjab government which, she said, is not acceptable.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha questioned the hasty manner in which various government departments gave approvals within a matter of days.

CDA’s technical committee, the Central Development Working Party and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project within five days – which has already raised questions of transparency.

Senator Agha asked the CDA chairman if the authority was contacted prior to finalisation of the project design. The chairman did not answer the question. Agha also questioned about the feasibility study and riders survey conducted before the initiation of the project.

Senator Kalsoom Parveen said that on the one hand the CDA was planning to shift industrial zone in Sector I-9 to the outskirts to save the residents from pollution and on the other hand they approved metro bas project in violation of the plan.

She said the city needs the project but such facilities at the cost of environment are not acceptable.

CDA chairman assured the committee that the project will neither affect the greenbelts nor violate the master plan.

“The project has been designed according to the master plan,” he assured.

He said the right of ways of different avenues in the city would be used to carve out roads for the project.

Members of the committee Haji Saifullah Khan Bangash, Talha Mehmood, Najma Hamid and Islamabad Chief Commissioner Jawad Paul also attended the proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2014.