ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Affairs, Ali Nawaz Awan has said that the business community of federal capital is playing an important role in the development of the local economy and steps will be taken to address their issues. He stated this while talking to a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) led by Senior Vice President of the Chamber Rafat Farid, which called on him here on Saturday. The delegation comprised Vice President ICCI Iftikhar Anwar Sethi, Tariq Sadiq, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Zafar Bakhtawari, Sheikh Atif Ikram, Ch Waheeduddin and others. Speaking on the occasion, Ali Nawaz Awan said that trade change issue was important for business community and the CDA would make the process easier so that businessmen could change trade as per current needs of business. He said the process of lease renewals of commercial plots would also be made easy to facilitate traders and industrialists. He said that the CDA Master Plan was being revisited to improve it in conformity with current needs. He said the performance of CDA would be improved through automation and one-window facility would be further improved to provide better services to the business community and citizens. He assured that all highlighted issues of business community would be addressed to facilitate them. ICCI SVP Rafat Farid, VP Iftikhar Anwar Sethi and other members of delegation highlighted the various issues of business community that needed urgent attention of CDA for redress. They said that CDA had assured to update building byelaws to meet the current needs of businesses and the civic body should expedite that process. They said that CDA should revise annual ground rent of industrial plots to make it affordable. They said that the lease renewal process of CDA was quite complicated which needed streamlining along with revision of its rates. The delegation members said that CDA had agreed in principal to allow construction of additional storey in markets, but was charging very high rates due to which it was not feasible and emphasized that CDA should reduce charges for additional storey. They said one window facility of CDA should be further improved to provide better services. They further said that there was no more space in existing industrial areas of Islamabad for setting up new industries and urged that CDA in cooperation with ICCI should work for establishing a new industrial estate in Islamabad to promote industrialization. They said trade license fee should also be reduced. Published in Daily Times, December 9th 2018.