Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The authorities have almost completed required work with regard to operationalisation of Islamabad Safe City Project introduced to ensure security and protection to life and property of citizens.

The project completion date is by the end of this month and overall progress of project as of today is more than 95 percent.

Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan had issued clear directions to relevant departments for the completion of all required work under the project including installation of CCTV cameras to ensure its timely operationalisation.

Official sources on Thursday said that the project costing US$ 129.5 million is already got late as former government announced this project but no practical step was taken to implement it. Ch Nisar is personally reviewing progress on the project.

The programme was initially started in 2009 but it was not implemented and after lapse of five years the incumbent government re-initiated the project in 2014. Present government is realising the importance of the said project and has been successful in renewing the project with a Chinese company at preceding rates.

A Chinese company would also look after the project for one year after its operationalisation. The project would be later extended to Rawalpindi district and other cities including Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta to ensure security and surveillance of these cities from criminal and terror elements.

Training of staff attached with Islamabad Safe City Project is continuing while some of the staff have got training from China as well to run the project in an efficient and professional manner.

A command centre has also been built while CCTV cameras have been installed in different parts of the federal capital.

Moreover, 800 special handsets have also been arranged which would be operated through a 4G network to ensure better and quick response.

A technology-based security system would have enough video recording capacity.

On a separate note, Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to complete leftover development work in sector D-12 within a period of three months. It has also decided to connect D-12 link road with under construction second carriageway of sector G-10 being constructed from the roundabout of Service Road (West) to Khyabaan-e-Iqbal and on the other side Margalla Avenue linking Tarnol.

The management has directed formations concerned to sort out the issues regarding relevant portion of Margalla Avenue within a month to ensure access to Sector D-12.

CDA Chairman Maroof Afzal said that the civic body was not only focusing on initiating new development projects but also proactively pursuing the sector development process that remained stalled for last many years.

He said that Sector D-12 development process is near completion and any sort of delay would not be tolerated in completing the leftover work. The development work in other stalled sectors had also been envisaged and every effort would be made to complete development process at a fast pace to provide added residential facilities to the allottees of those sectors, he added.

A meeting also discussed different development projects being carried out by the authority to make federal capital a modern metropolis. Earlier, the residents of the Sector D-12 had demanded the CDA management to expatiate the development work in the said sector.