ISLAMABAD | Progress News & Updates

[siamu maharaj]

Such a system in Islamabad makes no sense. In Pindi yes, but not in Islamabad.

[OmI92]

Federal govt is going to waste a lot of money by building BRTS in Islamabad. Populated cities should've been given priority like Karachi and Pindi not Islamabad.

[razashah]

Every city needs a public transport system!!!

[paguma larvata]

Originally Posted by siamu maharaj

Such a system in Islamabad makes no sense. In Pindi yes, but not in Islamabad.

Islamabad needs a BRTS. It has a population of almost two million now. Having said that Pindi, Karachi and Lahore need proper Metro systems, not BRTS.

[khalid-don]

Originally Posted by paguma larvata

Islamabad needs a BRTS. It has a population of almost two million now. Having said that Pindi, Karachi and Lahore need proper Metro systems, not BRTS.

yep I second that. But I highly doubt PPP has any intention to start this project. Its mere an election stunt to offset PML-N. I hope I am wrong.

[OmI92]

You r right

[waqas03]

You guys...!!!! Its a public stunt...3 months and we have interim goverment, and cda cant push without democrtic setup for a huge project like this....we are going to see nothing like that in islo....

[malpensa]

they just built so many flyovers in islamabad surely they wont tear it up now for RBT


what islamabd needs is an express train from new airport to blue area

[500]

Originally Posted by siamu maharaj

Such a system in Islamabad makes no sense. In Pindi yes, but not in Islamabad.

BRT makes no sense in cities like Lahore and Karachi. I gurantee you that if it is built, it would be a huge failure. How many daily ridership can there be if 1 bus holds upto 25 people? Since these two cities are relatively dense and the population is over 10-15 million mark, rather what there should be is a proper Train Metro system. Trains are designed in a way to carry large number of people. If it is underground, then its certainly a sucess for long term. We will be saving land for infrastructure overground also.

Why BRT makes sense in Islamabad? Well its because the cost to make it is cheap with respect to its population of 1 million, and the city is extremely sprawled

[brightside.]

Yup, at least in Karachi, a BRTS cannot solve the massive public transportation problem. Karachi needs a train metro for sure.

A BRTS for Islamabad should be built NOW, before it becomes absolutely essential. We need to start planning ahead rather than always doing things 20 years overdue.

[brightside.]

...

[siamu maharaj]

Originally Posted by paguma larvata

Islamabad needs a BRTS. It has a population of almost two million now. Having said that Pindi, Karachi and Lahore need proper Metro systems, not BRTS.

It makes little sense because of how Islamabad is laid out. Even the offices aren't concentrated in one area. You have several small pockets. Any mass transit system would HAVE to include Pindi. The only line I can think of in Islamabad that'd work is starting from IJP Road which divides RWP/ISB (I am not sure if Pindi people have direct acces to it or not) somewhere near I-10 to Faizabad then left turn all the way to Jinnah Ave and then a right turn from there probably till Constitution Ave. Such a route would take care of people coming from Pindi.

[siamu maharaj]

Originally Posted by malpensa

they just built so many flyovers in islamabad surely they wont tear it up now for RBT


what islamabd needs is an express train from new airport to blue area

Trains to/from airports don't work in poor countries and are a huge waste anyway. Islamabad isn't London.

[OmI92]

All set for building model jail in Capital

ISLAMABAD - The local administration here on Friday claimed that the PC-1 and proposed design for the construction of model jail in Sector H-16, on a piece of land measuring 127 kanals, was ready for seeking final approval by the competent authority.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Tariq Mahmood Pirzada informed this while reviewing the final details of the proposed project at a high-level meeting. Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Director Development/ Finance ICT, SSP Headquarters ICT, Superintendent Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, Chief Engineer and Chief Architect Pak PWD attended the meeting. He told the participants that he would request to the highest forum for giving time so that a detailed presentation about the PC-1 and design could be given in the next week.

Chief Architect, Pak PWD while giving a detailed briefing to the participants informed that he had conducted three visits of the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi along with other officials and the PC-I of the project had been further improved and incorporated all the requisite necessary requirements as pointed by the Superintendent Adyala Jail, Rawalpindi and other officials. The participants discussed in details the each and every aspect of project and expressed satisfaction over the design.

The participants were informed that the first phase of the project would cost approximately Rs 2.5 billion and the model jail would have a two-story building. The jail would have all the requisite facilities for the prisoners that are admissible under the prison rules. The building would initially have a capacity of 2026 prisoners. The design of the jail envisages to cater the future expansion plan with a capacity of prisoners up to 4000. Chief Architect informed that two third land would be utilized according to the proposed design whereas one third land had been reserved for future expansion requirements.

He informed that jail would have a separate residential colony for the jail staff consisting of four blocks for dispensary, kitchen, community hall, primary school, shopping centre, post office, bank and police barracks. The jail would also have separate factory area, separate admin block, special security ward for VIPs having 12 rooms and a separate court block for four court rooms for jail trial of prisoners.

The building would have separate barracks for women and juvenile offenders, medical ward for the women, barrack for condemned prisoners, A- class, B- class and C- class barracks, isolation cell, gallows, minority prayer hall, waiting room for visitors, dispensary, community hall, kitchen and mosque for the prisoners.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Raja approves construction of flats in capital

* Up to 5,000 flats will be constructed on railway land, PM told

Approving the construction of flats in the federal capital, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Friday said that the government was cognisant of the acute shortage of housing facilities for government servants in the city.

This needs to be addressed by coming up with out-of-the-box solution so that some relief can be provided to government servants, he added.

The prime minister made these observations during a briefing given to him by the Ministry of Housing and Works on the construction of flats for government servants in Islamabad, at the Prime Minister’s House.

Housing and Works Secretary Kamran Lashari briefed the prime minister on the salient features of the project. Lashari informed the prime minister that nearly 3,500-5,000 flats are proposed to be constructed in Sector I11 on Pakistan Railways (PR) land spread over 50 acres. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 28 billion, he said. Dilating on the present precarious housing situation, the secretary said that nearly 28,000 housing units were available for government servants against a total demand of 50,000.

The prime minister said that prima-facie the project seems feasible. “We need to work out a criteria for allotment of flats, ensure their construction according to international standards and affordability,” he said.

Raja said due to shortage of land for construction in Islamabad, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) should encourage high-rise buildings in the capital. Federal Minister for Housing Sardar Talib Nakai said that housing was a genuine demand of government servants and supported the project.

Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that PR should be given due compensation for the land on which the flats to be constructed.

Approving the project in principle, the prime minister constituted a task force comprising representatives of the housing, railways, finance departments for assessing the price of land and directed the task force to present its recommendations within a week.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Land allotment does more harm than good

Since 1999, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sold out about 1,000 acres to different private and government sector organisations and individuals. Though the allotment brought little money to the cash-strapped authority, the doling out of state land contributed to environmental degradation of the federal capital.

The allotments did not earn the CDA any money because the land has allegedly been sold at the same price at which it was acquired by the CDA about four decades ago.

The details of the CDA’s allotment of land under both the Musharraf regime and the current government show how generously governments distribute land to cronies and favoured institutions.

According to documents available with Dawn, the CDA under the current government has not just auctioned dozens of commercial and industrial plots to private individuals but also allotted some 465 acres to 45 government and private sector organisations and foreign missions and individuals in the last four-and-a-half years.

Before the PPP got hold of CDA, the Musharraf regime — from 1999 to 2007 — allotted 500 acres to 70 government and private sector organisations and individuals. Military installations were beneficiaries too. From 1999 to 2007, the major beneficiaries included the National University of Science and Technology, which was given 350 acres in Sector H-11; the ISI, which got a total of 77 acres in five different locations; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs got a mere 4.8 acres in Sector H-11; Strategic Planning Division (SPD) bagged five acres in Sector H-9 and Dr A.Q. Khan laboratories got four acres in Sector H-11.

Zong Telecom and China Mobile (CM Pak) were also given a few acres each. The CDA continued to parcel out land under the PPP regime.

It allotted 215 acres to University of Engineering, Science and Technology in Zone-IV; 70 acres to Air University; 35 acres to Law University in Zone IV; 31 acres to the Ministry of Housing and Works in G-10, G-11 and I-16; and seven acres to SPD in H-11.

Overall, however, the PPP has proved to be even more generous than its predecessor.

According to statistics, under the former military ruler the allotment was about 50 acres per annum while the current democratic regime’s average has been over 100 acres per year.

Similarly, out of 18 industrial plots nine were auctioned during last four-and-a-half years; the rest (11 plots) were sold out during the previous government. Out of 84 commercial plots, 45 were allotted to private companies and people since 2008.

At least 10 commercial plots have been sold out, ever since the current CDA chairman assumed charge some seven months back.

The real generosity of the authority comes to light when kiosks were allowed in various green areas of Islamabad. Under the Musharraf regime, CDA had allotted 24 kiosks, but since 2008, the PPP regime has allotted a whopping 63 kiosks.

Out of these, 33 are located in various sectors while 30 are at Lakeview Park of which 12 were allotted by the former CDA chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and 14 were allotted by former CDA member environment Mazhar Hussain, whereas four kiosks were illegally allotted as they still need approval.

However, the legally allotted kiosks have also earned flak because they are seen to be environmentally harmful.

According to environmentalists, these kiosks have further reduced the green cover of the federal capital as they are located on green spaces.

Shafiq Ahmed, an environmentalist and renewable energy consultant, is of the opinion that the kiosks are manifestation of haphazard planning which has led to pollution as well as sewage and sanitation problems.

He said that kiosk also spoiled the scenic beauty of the federal capital and encouraged encroachment.

CDA’s chief legal adviser, Masroor Shah when contacted said that the CDA under its rules and regulations was bound to meet the demands of various government departments and ministries. This is why, he said, the land had been allotted to various departments and establishments in Islamabad.

The allotment to private individuals was also done in accordance with the CDA ordinance, he added. He, however, admitted that in some cases, rules have been relaxed with the permission of the competent authority.

Regarding the allotment of kiosks, Barrister Shah said that the kiosk owners were primarily poor people who are providing a service to the residents of Islamabad by selling eatables and other essential items.

However, not every one agrees with this, Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf Gujjar, former president Islamabad High Court (IHC) Bar Association said in some cases the authority had sold the land at very low rates.

CDA should have disposed of its land at market prices even to the government institutions, he added.

[OmI92]

Fitness Gym would be built in Sports Board at a cost of Rs. 40 million.

[OmI92]

[OmI92]

CDA chief visits Margalla Avenue construction site

Islamabad

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Farkhand Iqbal during his visit to the site of Margalla Avenue, from D-12 side, on Wednesday, said that to accelerate the pace of work on the highway work had been initiated from Islamabad side as well.

On this occasion, Board Members and concerned staff were also present.

The CDA chairman also met villagers who came there to apprise him of their grievances. However, they assured the chairman of their cooperation in completion of the project. The chairman while addressing their issues told them that the highway will not only bring prosperity for them but it will be an added facility in boosting trade and better transportation to the citizens and traders of Islamabad. He further said the Margalla Avenue will not only facilitate the north-western transport coming to Islamabad but will help reduce the traffic load on Kashmir Highway as well.

The CDA chairman said that the 9-kilometre long highway would be completed within one year at a cost of Rs580 million with the help of most modern and efficient construction machinery. In this highway there would be 9 culverts while 12-meter wide lanes will also be constructed all along the Margalla Avenue.

He emphasised that international standard be maintained for the completion of this mega project saying that the highway would also help CDA start establishment of new sectors like C-13, C-14, C-15 and C-16.

He said CDA has signed an agreement with Chinese firms for provision of 200 million gallons of drinking water from Ghazi-Barotha Canal.

[FAISAL MOIN]

Kashmir Highway.