ISLAMABAD: The city managers on Tuesday decided to auction off vending points (kiosks) in various locations of the capital next month.

According to chief commissioner and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Noorul Amin Mengal, the vending points will be auctioned on May 15, 16 and 17.

He said the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) would conduct auction of the planning wing’s approved vending points.

The chief commissioner further said a total of 1,807 vending points would be auctioned, with 200 kiosks to be auctioned next month.

He said this step would generate economic activity and help the CDA remove encroachment from footpaths and other public places.

“The vending points will be constructed under a specific design to further enhance the beauty of Islamabad,” he said, adding that the successful bidder would get a 10-year-licence for running the vending points.

He said sitting arrangements at these points would not be provided, as this step could become a source of encroachment of state land, therefore, operators of vending points were supposed to do business within the limit of the points.

MCI Administrator Irfan Nawaz Memon told Dawn that the successful bidder will be given design by MCI to get vending points set up in accordance with proper design. He said Islamabad will have designed vending points like many other countries have in their big cities.

Last month, the CDA had decided that kiosks should be constructed with a specific design at the sites, which are permissible under Islamabad’s master plan and all kiosks will be leased out after open auctions.

It is relevant to note here that there were over 450 kiosks in Islamabad including licenced ones and illegal, but the MCI after cancelling licences in one go, demolished all of them some years ago.

Later on, many kiosk owners re-constructed their kiosks, but CDA did not own them and for the last few years the owners of kiosks were being asked by CDA that new kiosks with proper design will be constructed.

It is relevant to note here that in the past, the allotment of kiosks saw many controversies as the DMA and environment wing of CDA used to allot plots on pick and choose basis.

It was also alleged that many officials of CDA/DMA through their front men got allotted kiosks.

An official of CDA said that besides the issue of kiosks, there is another issue of setting up play area in parks, as many private people in connivance with the help of DMA and CDA officials have been running kids play areas in various parks like Islamabad Monument and Lake View Park on pick and choose basis.

They are paying nominal rent to CDA. “The CDA and DMA should allot kids play areas after competitive process to generate handsome revenue,” the official said.

A couple of years ago, the CDA had identified spaces including Park Road near the Rawal Dam Bridge, Park Road opposite Shahzad Town, Tramari Chowk, Bhara Kahu Murree Road, Khanna Bridge, Chamber Road in Rawat, opposite Blue Area in G-7/1, near Iqbal Hall in G-7/3, Blue Area near the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in G-8/3, opposite the markaz in G-9/2, near the sewerage treatment plant in I-9/1, opposite the markaz in F-10/3 and opposite the markaz in F-11/2.

However, now a new committee has been formed, which will identify new sites and kiosks will be leased out through open auction.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2023