Authority says work to begin on ‘ignored’ sectors soon. STOCK IMAGE
The authority is currently executing a plan funded by federal government which involves up-gradation and rehabilitation of different roads of the city.
Instead of targeting the already neglected sectors, CDA is focusing on areas where roads infrastructure is in relatively better condition.
The neglected sectors of G and I series seem to be nowhere on the priority list.
The prime minister recently announced a package amounting to Rs5 billion for the civic agency under Public Sector Development Programme for rehabilitation of road infrastructure.
Local industrialists running businesses in sectors I-9, I-10 and I-11 also held a meeting over the issue recently.
Following the meeting, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) appealed to the prime minister to take notice of broken roads in industrial areas, due to which business activities are badly suffering.
The chamber also requested the premier to issue instructions to the civic agency for urgent repair of roads to facilitate the smooth growth of industrial activities.
ICCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said the main link road of Islamabad Dry Port in particular and other roads in industrial areas in general are in a poor condition. The CDA is paying no attention to their repair due to which it was very difficult for heavy vehicles to transport goods from and to these areas, he added.
The civic agency should work on war footing basis to repair the roads and restore faulty streetlights, he stressed.
Sheikh further said the government was earning millions of rupees from industrial areas in terms of sales tax and excise duty but was paying no attention to rehabilitate roads in line with international standards. The community was facing great inconvenience due to the situation, he said.
However, CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said the authority had already taken notice of the issue.
“Sectors of G-series would be focused in the first phase of Islamabad up-gradation and rehabilitation plan. Rehabilitation work in Sector G-11 will begin from Friday (today). The sectors where the work has already been initiated would be completed within the stipulated time,” he added.
He shared initially sectors G-6, G-7 and F-6 were targeted and now the neglected G-series sectors will be the focus of work. The spokesperson said the I-series sectors were also on the priority list and rehabilitation work would start there soon.
He said the CDA chairman had directed the member engineering to expedite development work and double the machinery and manpower to complete the ongoing development work at the earliest.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2015.
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