Despite hefty allocations, most CDA projects yet to start

The most prominent among these is the construction of phase-II of Margalla Highway


Danish Hussain January 01, 2015
The most prominent among these is the construction of phase-II of Margalla Highway. STOCK IMAGE

ISLAMABAD:


It was around 13 months ago when the incumbent management of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) assumed the responsibility of streamlining the ‘corruption-plagued and underperforming’ municipal agency.


The federal government had appointed two senior officers, including Maroof Afzal and Amer Ali Ahmed, as the chairman and administration member respectively in December 2013 to take up this gigantic task.



Consequently, a favourable board of directors was formed by the aforementioned officers for smooth functioning of the authority.

It seems the authority’s strategy to mitigate corruption was to avoid undertaking any development activity in the city whatsoever. And it looks like the plan worked out as no mega corruption scandal with allegations of kickbacks appeared in the press during the previous year.

However, residents of the capital were still adversely affected by the lack of development as well as the ‘routine or petty’ corruption, especially in the affairs of the estate management directorate.

Moreover, several affected residents cried foul over the payment of compensation to locals of Sector E-12.

The financial discipline also remained a distinct dream as not a single additional source of revenue generation was explored by the authority during last year.

Priority projects not given priority

After the incumbent board took power in December 2013, it compiled a list titled ‘priority projects’. It was decided that the authority would focus on early execution of these projects during 2014.

For financial year 2014-15, a total of Rs5.4 billion were also allocated for these 21 priority projects. The authority’s board meets almost thrice a week to track progress on these projects.

Despite the marathon meetings, not a single project of the 21 ‘priority items’ have yet kicked off --- which speaks volumes about the priority given to them.

The most prominent among these projects are the construction of the phase-II of Margalla Highway, two underpasses on Faisal Avenue, a slaughterhouse, the development of sector I-15, fencing of acquired but unattended land of CDA and the further development of already established sectors.



Nevertheless, some work, including payments to the affected people of the proposed C-series sectors has been done. However, it is believed that this project went through because a close aide of the premier is linked with it as he owns a large chunk of the inherited land in the area.

The Park Enclave, a CDA-owned housing society at Park Road, which is also includes in the list, has seen some on-ground development. The authority is working on carving out roads but it has yet to resolve several pending issues of the project, including resettlement of locals occupying the land in the proposed housing colony.

Efforts in terms of providing affordable housing in Islamabad remained limited to publishing advertisements in connection with developmental work at the stalled sectors.

The development of low-cost housing at sectors I-12 and I-15 could not begin throughout the year and only advertisements seeking expressions of interest from firms were published by CDA.

Credit where it’s due

Of the two mega projects in the city, the construction of Kashmir Highway was completed while the Metro Bus Project is getting there, slowly but surely. The Kashmir Highway was completed on a fast track in 2014 as the federal government had funded the project under the public sector development programme. While work on the Metro Bus Project is also in full swing, the CDA has little or nothing to do with it as the Punjab and federal government are executing it.

A CDA spokesperson commenting on the year’s projects said the authority, for the time being, has postponed initiation of major road construction in the city to avoid creating a further mess due to the dug up roads in connection with the metro bus.



He said during 2014, CDA made some progress. This includes initiation of construction work on two parking plazas at F-6, approving PC-I of the slaughterhouse, completion of Kashmir Highway, development of Park Enclave, installing the tallest flag in South Asia, beginning of work on the Citizens Facilitation Centre as well as the topographic survey of acquired lands.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2014.

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