ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Tuesday criticised the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for forwarding a summary to the PM to change the status of I-17 from an industrial to a residential sector. “It is an unwise step. It will affect industrialisation and investment in the federal capital,” the ICCI said. It appealed to the PM not to approve this proposal as it would go against the larger interests of the local economy. While chairing a meeting of local industrialists, ICCI president Khalid Iqbal Malik said that industrial areas in Islamabad, including I-9, I-10 and Kahuta Industrial Triangle, had reached the saturation point due to which investors were facing difficulties in setting up new industries in Islamabad. “Due to non-availability of industrial plots, many industrialists are moving to Hattar and other areas to build new industrial units,” he said. He said that keeping in view the importance of CPEC, a new industrial estate was needed in Islamabad to attract investment, promote industrialization and create jobs. He urged that CDA to desist from changing the status of I-17 from industrial to residential sector and focus on its development as a modern industrial estate so that industrial activities could flourish in the region. Khalid Malik, ICCI senior vice president, and Tahir Ayub, ICCI vice president, said that I-17 sector had been dedicated a long time ago for the development of industrial estate and emphasised that CDA should not change its status at this stage. Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, the ICCI sub-committee on CDA chairman, briefed the meeting about the background of the project. “In collaboration with the chamber, the CDA had completed a lot of work in 2008 to develop I-17 as a new industrial estate. It is surprising that the civic body is considering to change its status now,” he said. “This is not acceptable to the local industrialists. CDA should immediately withdraw it in the larger interest of the economy,” he said. Khalid Javed, Mian Akram Farid, Tariq Sadiq, Amir Waheed, Zafar Bakhtawari, Mehmood Ahmed Warraich, Naeem Siddiqui, Khalid Mian and Khalid Chaudhry attended the meeting. They protested against the CDA and called upon the government to direct CDA to develop I-17 Sector as a state-of-the-art industrial estate. Published in Daily Times, August 2nd , 2017.