Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday said monkeys were responsible for the dysfunctional street lights along the Margalla Hills Road.

The authority also claimed it required another two to three months to replace or repair the faulty lights.

A majority of the road lights in Daman-e-Koh are non-functional, posing serious threat to the safety of tourists and local residents.

Requesting anonymity, a CDA official, working at the Services and Maintenance Department, said: “Monkeys are responsible for non-functioning of the lights. They break open the protective covers and the panels where bulbs are attached. They play with the lights and damage them.”

The official admitted that his department had received a number of complaints about the dysfunctional lights, but they could not repair or replace them due to funding shortage.

He said that the department also faced a shortage of staff and vehicles to address all the day-to-day complaints.

“The CDA chairman has recently accorded approval to replace all the defunct lights with new ones, but it will take another two to three months before the problem is fixed as it involves lengthy departmental procedures,” he said.

Imran Khattak, a motorcyclist at Daman-e-Koh, said that motorcycles were more prone to accidents as vehicles coming from the opposite direction used high-beam lights, creating more visibility problems due to darkness on the road.

“I had a narrow escape last Sunday in an encounter with a drove of pigs that suddenly appeared from the jungle near Tilhar Village,” Raja Waqar, another citizen, said. “My vehicle could have met a major accident due to poor visibility,” he said.

He said that the CDA should take steps to replace the faulty lights for public safety.

Qing Ping Qin, a Chinese national at Monal Restaurant, said that he was a frequent visitor to Daman-e-Koh. “Traveling at night on a dark road is a matter of concern for me. The civic authorities should address this issue,” he remarked.

The chief administrator of Monal Restaurant expressed dismay over the situation. “Our business activities start during the night. Almost 500 tourists enjoy food at our facility daily,” he said.

“The mishandling of affairs by the authorities can affect the business of the area’s picnic spots. During summers, a majority of tourists come to the areas during evenings and nights,” he added.

FIRs: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has issued orders for lodging FIRs and stoppage of pensions of its 16 former officials. The officers are accused of failing to vacate government accommodations. Two separate office orders have been issued in this regard by the Administration Directorate of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

CDA Administration Member Muhammad Yasir Peerzada said that the CDA Board had recently approved a new policy for allotment of official accommodations to CDA employees. “The present administration will ensure implementation of recently approved housing policy in the best interest of the employees of the authority. The policy is strictly based on merit,” he said.

The authority issued NOCs for pension purposes to the employees and allowed retention period of government accommodations in return of affidavits. These 16 former officers and employees were required to vacate the government accommodation after the expiry of retention period.

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2017.