Daily Times

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Wednesday said the PTI government had resolved a long-standing issue of the residents of Islamabad by amending the Capital Development Authority Act 1960 under which the government or any other department would not be able to acquire land from the locals for housing society purposes.

“Henceforth, nobody would be allowed to acquire land for a housing society from the locals by imposing Section 4 of the CDA Act, the minister said, adding that the land which had already been acquired under the section and payment had not been made yet would also be considered as null and void as now the payment would be made on the basis of market price.

He said in order to determine the market price of the land, a committee comprising representatives from the CDA and ICT had been formed.

He was addressing media persons here along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CDA Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan and MNA Raja Khurrum Nawaz.

Asad said in the past, a number of powerful elements, including politicians, journalists and civil and military bureaucrats had benefited from this law and became billionaires. He said this section should have been omitted decades ago.

Asad Umar said “one by one, we are fulfilling all the pledges committed in our election campaign and that were part of our manifesto”.

Further, he said the commitment of making one Islamabad instead of two was also going to be fulfilled as the legislation to provide equal development opportunities to all sectoral as well as non-sectoral areas of the city was going to be accomplished soon.

The minister said the government had announced a development package worth of Rs4.5 billion for the rural areas of the city out of which development schemes worth Rs1.5 billion had already been approved and work had been started.

He said work on a number of mega infrastructure projects, including expansion of IJ Principle road, PWD interchange, ISI interchange, Margalla road phase-1, Sihalabridge, and Rawal Dam Interchange, was going on speedily.

Ali Awan said the Rawal Dam interchange would be opened in February 2022, but its formal inauguration would be held in October 2022.

Similarly, he said the IJP Road expansion and ISI interchange would also be completed by October next year.

He said the Margalla Road phase-1 from GT Road to D-12 would be completed in next few months, while the ground breaking of Margalla Road phase-2 from Constitution Avenue to the Murree Road was likely to start by next month.

The alignment work of third phase of the road from D-12 to Constitution Avenue was in process, he added.

Asad Umar said the groundbreaking of the 10th Avenue was likely to be started by end of current month which would start from IJ Principal Road and end on the Srinagar Highway.

With respect to health projects in the city, Asad said a 50-bed hospital was being established in Bhara Kahu that would be completed next year whereas two hospital projects (Polyclinic expansion and Rural Hospital at Tarnol on GT Road with capacity of 200 beds each would also be established that would be completed in 2023.

Furthermore, he said 19 basic health units were being established and a mega trauma center was also being established at the PIMS.

He said all the citizens of Islamabad would get Sehat Sahoolat Cards by December this year with annual coverage of Rs1 million each.

In education, the minister informed that at present construction of five new colleges was in process simultaneously besides upgradation of 100 schools in the city.