ISLAMABAD: A big hurdle in the completion of the new Islamabad International Airport was hopefully crossed on Wednesday when the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told a Senate committee two dams will be built in the vicinity.

Water will be stored in the planned Ramma and Kasana dams, costing Rs1.65 billion, through rain harvesting and will meet the requirements of the airport for next 50 years, the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was informed.

Additional Secretary Aviation Division Amjad Ali Toor told the committee that the new airport will be operational by the end of next year and just eight months are required to construct the Ramma Dam.

“Sited just four kilometers away from the airport, the feasibility of Ramma Dam is ready and the District Coordination Officer Attock has been acquiring the land,” the official said. “Bids for constructing the dam have been invited.”

“Now Aviation Division is in a position to claim that dam would be constricted before completion of airport,” he claimed.

In reply to committee members’ questions, Mr Amjad said that the Chinese now working on the airport project have quickened the pace of work and had finished 82.57 percent of the work by June 15.

“Because of the delays in executing the project its cost increased from Rs37 billion to Rs 80 billion and looks it will end up between Rs 90 billion to Rs 100 billion,” he said.

Conceived in 1984, land for the new airport project was purchased the same year near Fateh Jang at rates ranging between Rs30,000 and Rs500,000 per Kanal, or an average of Rs70,000 per Kanal.

But the foundation stone could be laid only 20 years later – by the former prime minister Shaukat Aziz. Construction started four years later with the award of contracts to 17 firms but without any approved design.

Initial PC-I of Rs37 billion approved in 2008 by various government institutions made no mention of fuel system, radar and radio control building, aprons for planes, sewerage treatment plant, electricity and availability of water.

Laxity in appointing design consultant, unavailability of access road, squatters at the project site and improper sequencing of award of work - and time lost in probes and litigations that followed – delayed the construction.

Meanwhile, the existing airport near Rawalpindi continued to serve three million air passengers annually. In fact, it has been refurbished and now has 20 check-in counters and parking space for 400 vehicles.

The new airport is planned to service 15 million passengers with 90 check-in counters and parking facility for 2,200 vehicles. It is to have exclusive sewage treatment and water plants.

Initially, the government of Punjab had agreed to supply water to the new airport from the Shahpur Dam, located in Attock District. But the frequent and prolonged delays in the project made the government allocate that water to agriculture and residential areas instead.

Road passing from Housing Societies again discussed

While replying to questions Mr Amjad said that access road was not the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

“CAA proposed to construct a road from Golra Chowk to Airport, passing through Haji Chowk. However, for unknown reasons, it was decided that Margalla Avenue will be extended to the new airport. The approved road passes from some housing societies,” he said.

Committee chairman Senator Talha Mehmood said that it seemed this road was approved to benefit housing societies and announced that the committee members will visit the access road.

Senator Saifullah Khan Bangash said that the land from which access road is passing belongs to a former PML-N MNA. “No one was purchasing plots in the (previously inaccessible) housing societies, but now prices of the plots have increased many times,” he alleged.

Also read: With 'blast-proof' wall and new lounge, Islamabad Airport gets much-awaited upgrade

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2015

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