• CDA board approves dumping site for rural area of Islamabad
• Apartment scheme to be launched for overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) board on Thursday named the newly-constructed PWD interchange after nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

It also approved a dumping site for the rural area of Islamabad and a new apartment scheme for overseas Pakistanis.

The CDA board was directed by the federal cabinet to name a permanent building/infrastructure or road after the nuclear scientist who passed away recently.

The board headed by CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed met on Thursday to discuss various policy-related matters.

The meeting approved a five-acre dumping site in Taumar for the rural population which will be set up after completing the formalities.

A new apartment scheme - Overseas Enclave - will developed on 400 kanals near Park Enclave III. The board decided that flats and apartments will be constructed for overseas Pakistanis under the Roshan Digital Programme.

A board member said the forum also approved CDA’s request to get the construction of 10th Avenue done through a government organisation instead of private contractors.

Amongst the government contractors, Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and National Logistics Cell (NLC) have already been engaged by the civic agency and are executing various construction projects.

On Wednesday, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the construction of 10th Avenue from IJP Road to Srinagar Highway at a total cost of Rs12.139 billion. This project will be executed in two phases to be completed in two years.

Meanwhile, the board approved to engage National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (NECOP) to replace conventional streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) in the capital city.

The CDA through NECOP will retrofit the traditional sodium streetlights already installed in Islamabad to European standard LED lights.

The consultancy of three projects - two interchanges at Khayaban-i-Iqbal (E-11 and Shaheen Chowk) and EIA study for widening and improvement of Attaturk Avenue from Jinnah Avenue to Ayub Chowk - was also sanctioned.

The board member said the privatisation of Jinnah Convention Centre (JCC) also came under discussion as the meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Privatisation.

Sources said the CDA told the privatisation officials that the board had no objection to the privatisation of JCC and the decision of the federal cabinet was final.

The CDA had asked the Ministry of Privatisation to provide study reports regarding availability of water, electricity from a grid, a solid waste management plan, traffic impact study and report on sewage treatment plant (STP) for getting a revised allotment letter from CDA.

Privatisation Commission has been stating that transaction of JCC was put on hold after the CDA raised objections after issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC).

Earlier, through a letter a few weeks ago the CDA told the Ministry of Interior that the civic agency had never opposed the privatisation of JCC rather it had asked: “In case, no study was conducted [regarding above mentioned studies], the matter may be brought into the notice of the prime minister or the federal cabinet as deemed suitable for appropriate intervention in the matter.”

Sources said during the meeting it was discussed that Privatisation Commission should give assurance to the CDA board that no new issues as pointed out by CDA will emerge. However, sources said the civic agency made it clear that it had no issue with privatisation of JCC.

The CDA board in July had decided to get the study reports from Ministry of Privatisation before the latter got a revised allotment letter of the JCC from the CDA.

The board had suggested that the 3.4 acres originally allocated for parking may be reconsidered as an amenity area in order to avoid any legal complications.

The CDA has been stating that privatisation of such a huge building will have impact on roads and other services.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2021