- Main roads expansion, overhead bridges at a halt for past one year
ISLAMABAD: The development projects, including expansion of roads, overhead bridges, construction of pedestrian bridges and other projects, are at standstill despite having mayor of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N at the helm of affairs for more than a year.
In order to facilitate the residents of the capital, the Capital Development Authority had initiated around 80 development projects including expansion of the Islamabad Highway from Karal Chowk to the GT Road, development work in the Park Enclave, security of the Parliament House, allotment of developed projects to institutions in H-8, overhead bridges on Nazimuddin Road, Express Highway, Kashmir Highway, Jinnah Avenue, slaughterhouse, several lines in new sectors, maintenance and street lights.
On all of the above projects, the work has been stalled for the past several months. Back in December 2017 when the Islamabad High Court sent then CDA chairman home, few projects also came to a halt. Since then, CDA has reverted back to the stop gap arrangements and running the affairs on day-to-day basis.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on House and Library expressed displeasure over the inordinate delay in the construction of 104 additional family suites and servant quarters in the Parliament Lodges. The lawmakers expressed their displeasure over the failure of the completion of suites and directed the CDA chairman to conduct an inquiry and fix the responsibility against those responsible for the delay.
It is pertinent to mention here that the parliamentarians have been asking for speedy construction of family suites since 2015. The expansion of the Islamabad Expressway, the poster project CDA is currently working on, hangs in limbo with no hope in sight. The project includes the widening, upgradation and expansion of the Islamabad Highway which will cost 21 billion rupees and will be completed in four phases.
The first phase of the expansion from Zero Point to Faizabad was opened back in January this year for the commuters. Once the project is completed in entirety, it will be 24km long, five lanes, dual carriageway signal free/controlled access corridor of the Islamabad Highway. In March 2018, the CDA has requested the prime minister a grant of Rs 10 billion to complete the remaining patch of the Kashmir Highway.
The civic agency has run out of funds to complete the project. However, many critics believe that the signal-free corridor of the Islamabad Expressway is an attempt to dole out favours to estate tycoons and land developers who have established housing societies in Zone-IV and Zone-V.
