The National Assembly was told on Tuesday that the government would not deface the federal capital for the Rapid Bus Transit project, an efficient bus service was instead being considered, initially for parliamentarians and then other government employees.
Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Khurram Jahangir Wattoo said that Islamabad could not afford massive excavations across the city to execute a rapid bus service project for a population of 0.6 million people.
He said that the incumbent Chairman CDA had been asked to give second thoughts on the project initiated by his predecessor.
He said that parliamentarians would also be urged to use a bus service to encourage others as it would help conserve fuel, adding that the initially the bus service would be launched for Parliament Lodges and the Pak Secretariat.
The parliamentary secretary apprised the House that the Prime Minister had changed the top brass of CDA and had resolved to purge it of corruption.
Wattoo said that in the past, anomalies had been found CDA’s affairs; however the situation had improved gradually.
He also apprised the House that CDA had allowed parking lots for government organizations without any charges, however private parties were being charged annual fees.
He said that Marriott Hotel was being charged Rs 0.85 million annually for the parking lot it had developed in an adjacent plot; however he said that CDA had issued no permission to Serena and Marriott Hotels to block roads for security measures.
Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed reservations over the blockade of roads by both hotels and asked the Minister of State for Interior Safdar Warraich and Wattoo to look into the matter.
The parliamentary secretary said that CDA had necessitated the construction of in-built parking spaces in all multi-storeyed buildings to avoid traffic and parking issues.
