ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved restructuring of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). In future, the civic agency will work under the administrative control of the mayor.

During the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Advisor on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain briefed the cabinet about the new local government system for Islamabad.

A source who participated in the meeting said the cabinet directed that Islamabad’s reform process should be completed in three months and interim arrangements should be made to introduce Punjab like local government system in the capital.

Islamabad’s reform process should be completed in three months, federal cabinet says

Under the system placed in Punjab, development agencies work under the local governments.

The source said a report prepared by Dr Hussain and a summary prepared by the CDA and the interior ministry regarding restructuring of the CDA and Islamabad reforms were discussed and approved by the cabinet. It was decided that a new improved system of management would be introduced in the capital within three months. The source said it was also decided that in future the CDA would be placed under the administrative control of the mayor.

A managing director would be hired from the private sector after a competitive process to run the CDA and jobs of the CDA and MCI officials and officers would be safeguarded and protected. However, the current management and policy levels of the two organisations would be separated.

“Under the new dispensation to be decided for Islamabad, the CDA will initially fund development of the city which deteriorated in last three years,” the source said, adding that the cabinet was briefed that the CDA’s financial health had improved.

During the last cabinet meeting, it was decided that the CDA would have a nine-member board - five from the private sector and four from the government sector - who would be ex-officio members.

The chairman of the authority will be amongst the private members. The administrative powers would be given to directors general who will run their concerned formations and board members would not be paid rather they would have an advisory role.

Currently, the CDA board is the main decision making body which takes major decisions which are implemented by the board members being heads of various wings of the civic agency.

In accordance with CDA Ordinance 1960, the authority’s chairman and members should be hired from the private sector after a competitive process so that they could take independent decisions in the interest of the authority.

However, successive governments never implemented the CDA ordinance and kept appointing government servants as members and chairman of the CDA. A couple of years ago, Islamabad High Court had also ordered for making appointments from the private sector.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2019