ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Thursday said this week’s joint session of Parliament will approve the Rent Control Act for Islamabad, fulfilling a long-standing demand of Islamabad businessmen.

While speaking at a reception organised by PTI Traders Wing, the minister said after approval of Rent Control Act a long-standing demand of traders of Islamabad will be met.

Traders community of Islamabad has been seeking for years to amend the Rent Restriction Ordinance 2001.

The PTI government has been stating that once Rent Control Act is passed, it will protect the rights of tenants and landlords alike.

Traders have been stating that forced eviction from shops is a chronic issue of tenants, who have been running their business for decades and have been facing the threat of eviction.

He also assured the traders that parking problem in Islamabad, which has escalated to a very alarming level, will also be addressed through emergency action plan.

On the request of Secretary General PTI Traders Wing Waqar Bakhtawari, the planning minster said that he would also hold a meeting with a delegation of traders soon on issue of parking. Shrinking parking space is one of the major problems of Islamabad.

The businessmen and citizens have been facing parking issue in all commercial areas, particularly in Blue Area and F-8 Markaz.

A few months ago, CDA had decided to construct two parking plazas one each in Blue Area and F-8 area to overcome parking issue.

The minster assured the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry of his full support for the establishment of an industrial zone around Islamabad and asked the leadership of the chamber to contact him in this regard.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on CDA Ali Nawaz Awan said the present government had been quite successful in improving the economy in spite of difficult economic conditions. He further said the problems of traders would be resolved on priority basis.

PTI Islamabad Traders Wing President Ch Nadeemuddin, thanked Asad Umar for his efforts in enforcing the Rent Control Act law.

PTI Traders Wing Islamabad Secretary General Waqar Bakhtawari while appreciating the efforts of Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan and Raja Khurram Nawaz to solve the problems of traders of Islamabad said that parking is the biggest problem of Islamabad markets at present. The CDA needs to build a parking plaza and parking area on an emergency basis otherwise the markets in Islamabad may not be available for parking which may create difficulties for traders.

President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shakeel Munir, Vice President Fahim Khan, President, Islamabad Small Chamber of Commerce Zahid Qureshi, Group Leader Kamran Abbasi, President Anjuman-i-Tajiran Ajmal Baloch and President President Tanzeem-e-Tajiran Kashif Chaudhry and representative of most of the markets were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021