ISLAMABAD, Nov 3 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Wednesday said the PTI government had resolved a long standing issue of the local residents of Islamabad by amending the Capital Development Authority Act 1960 under which the government or any other would not be able to acquire land from the locals for housing society purposes.
“Henceforth nobody would be allowed to acquire land for 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 done 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 of representatives from CDA and ICT had been formed.
He was addressing media here along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CDA affairs Ali Nawaz Awan and Member of National Assembly Raja Khurrum Nawaz.
He said in the past, number of powerful elements including politicians, journalists, and civil and military bureaucrats had benefited from this law and became billionaire. 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”.
Infrastructure
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 Rs 4.5 billion for the rural areas of the city out of which development schemes worth of Rs 1.5 billion had already been approved and work had been started.
He said work on number of mega infrastructure projects including expansion of IJ Principle road, PWD interchange, ISI interchange, Margalla road phase-1, Sihala bridge, and Rawal Dam interchange was going on speedily.
Ali Awan informed that 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 expansion road 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 ground breaking of the Margala 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 road and end at the Srinagar Highway.
With respect to health projects in the city, Asar informed that a 50 bed hospital was being established in Bahara Kahu that would be completed by next year whereas two hospital projects (Poly Clinic Expansion and Rural hospital at GT road Tarnol) 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 PIMS hospital.
He informed that the all the citizens of Islamabad would get Sehat Sahoolat Cards by December this year with annual coverage of Rs one million each.
Education
In education, the minister informed that at present construction of five new colleges was in process simultaneously besides up-gradation of 100 schools in the city.
Water Projects
With respect to water projects, he informed that the plan to double the water supply to Islamabad from Ghazi Brotha Dam was a complicated one but it would be made possible soon.
He said the government was also planning to switch to metered water consumption to check the wastage of water in the city.
