ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to procure its own machinery and directly hire sanitation workers.

The civic agency has also decided to construct an underpass, linking G-5 and G-6, and widen Ataturk Avenue from Jinnah Avenue to Ayub Chowk.

CDA’s Development Working Party (DWP) is going to meet on Tuesday for approval of PC-I worth Rs689 million for the project titled ‘Procurement of Machinery to Upgrade Sanitation Services in Islamabad’ and other projects.

The CDA, earlier this year, cancelled contract award of a contractor after an inquiry report pointed out that the contract was awarded in violation of rules. The said contract worth Rs650 million per year covered both machinery and manpower, only for urban area.

Civic body’s DWP to take up development projects during meeting tomorrow

Later, in July this year, CDA awarded a contract of hiring machinery only against Rs510 million to another contractor for one year, however, the CDA chairman while approving the file had directed the wing concerned to end this culture of hiring machinery and purchase its own machinery within three months. Now, the CDA-DWP is going to take up PC-I of the said project.

It is relevant to note here that due to outsourcing, sanitation workers often face delay in getting salaries. Henceforth, CDA decided that it will also directly hire sanitation workers.

Meanwhile, the CDA-DWP will also take up PC-I worth Rs873 million for the Islamabad Bus Service project. Under the project, the CDA is planning to ply buses on several busy roads of the city as currently there is no public bus service in the capital.

An officer of the CDA said that the civic agency set a target of plying buses by January next year. Last month, the CDA board had approved the said project and it was decided that initially, the project will be funded by CDA but later on, services of a commercial company will be incorporated for running it. As per the concept plan, the buses will ply on six routes.

In the first phase, the official said buses will run on three busiest routes — Tarnol to N-5 Metro Station, Sawan Interchange to Faisal Mosque and from Bhara Kahu to Aabpara and Faiz Ahmed Faiz Metro Station.

The CDA-DWP will also take up a project for engagement of a consultant for the study on transformation of Islamabad into a smart city and another project under which environment machinery, water tankers and earth moving equipment will be procured.

The official said this project was meant to build construction capacity of CDA so as to earn revenue by competing in construction projects and also carry out construction and maintenance work related to roads, pavement, kerb stones and lane marking.

Meanwhile, the CDA-DWP will also take up PC-Is of two road projects - widening and improvement of Ataturk Avenue worth Rs157 million and construction of underpass at an intersection of G-5 - to link it with G-6 at Ataturk Avenue worth Rs193 million.

It is relevant to note here that several years ago CDA had launched widening of Ataturk Avenue from Khyayaban-i-Suharwardi to Ayub Chowk.

However, the civic agency later reduced the project and widened the road up to D-Chowk amid objections of environmentalists.

Now, the CDA has decided to carry out widening of this road from Jinnah Avenue to Ayub Chowk whereas, an underpass will also be constructed on this road to provide a direct link from G-5 to G-6 (merging state bank building and a road coming from the former covered market site).

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2021