Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the devolution of powers, liabilities and assets between the MCI and the CDA, the civic body’s board has decided to abolish the post of Member Environment while the post of Director General Environment will remain intact.

According to details, the supreme decision making body of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to write to the federal government to abolish the post of Member Environment as it is the competent authority to make any change in the composition of the CDA board.

It was already highlighted by Daily Times that the composition of the CDA Board needs a thorough and minute revision by the federal government because the workload of the Member Environment, the Member Administration and the Member Finance has been reduced by a large scale due to the devolution of powers, liabilities and assets between the MCI and the CDA.

A senior official of the CDA on the condition of anonymity said: “The Authority will ask the federal government to finish the post of Member Environment whereas the post of the DG will not be abolished at this stage.”

It was quite clear that the Environment Wing after the devolution had no need of a separate member in the board as only one Directorate of Regional Environment had been left behind after the devolution while its other directorates including environment (east and west), parks, zoo, F-9 Park, Lakeview Park and environment protection had been placed under the MCI.

Meanwhile, the board has also decided to allot 4.20 acres land in Sector H-11/3 for the construction of the Islamabad Traffic Police Complex by cutting the size of a land originally marked for the Disaster Management Academy.

The said site is located at Faqir Aapi Road in Sector H-11/3 opposite to the Islamabad Police Lines whereas the land is also adjacent to the H-11 graveyard.

The decision is an outcome of a long tug of war between the CDA and the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) as the city managers first allotted a plot measuring 4.20 acres to the ITP for the aforementioned purpose on Murree Road near Faizabad in 2007. The possession was also handed over to the ITP, but later on the said plot was cancelled in 2008, by the CDA.

An official of the CDA officials briefed that the said plot was cancelled as it was situated at the sports complex area of zone-III in Islamabad and after the review of the master plan of the city, the Authority had decided to cancel the plot due to strategic reasons.

The CDA directed the relevant departments to relocate a new piece of land in G-11 or Mauve Area as an alternative to the old one.

In response, the Islamabad Traffic Police filed a civil suit against the decision of the CDA and the case is still pending before the court for retention of the aforesaid plot.

The Ministry of Interior had also intervened in the matter and directed the Chief Commissioner Islamabad to convene a meeting between all the stakeholders to settle the dispute amicably.

Now, sources privy to the developments has briefed that the Inspector General of Police has agreed with the proposal of the CDA to allot an alternative plot in H-11 and officially sought the allocation of the land at the CDA’s proposed site.

Today’s decision was made after the affirmative consent of the higher ups of the Islamabad Traffic Police, sources added.