Islamabad to have a new look, promises mayor

Says zero tolerance for corruption; vows to push housing foundation for early development
of Sector G-14; capital to have four new hospitals;

vehicles show rooms to be located outside Islamabad

Islamabad

Sheikh Anser Aziz, the first elected Mayor of Islamabad, has said Islamabad shall be given a new look, adding he has zero tolerance for corruption in the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation.

He said Islamabad is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities of Pakistan but there is a lot more to be done to bring it at par with the developed and beautiful capitals of the world.

Sheikh Anser Aziz expressed these views while giving an exclusive interview to DNA.

He further said Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has given out his vision to modernize Islamabad and we are in fact following this very vision as our guiding principle for our plans and actions.

“Let me also assure the residents of Islamabad that no stone shall be left unturned in making this city a must-visit place. As regards your question about some immediate measures, you may know that the IJP Road was in a shambles for a long time and there was a longstanding demand of the residents for its repair. Soon after taking over we have immediately approved the repair work of this very important road that links Islamabad to Rawalpindi and to the Motorway also.”

To a question, he said as many as 23 departments previously run by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have been handed over to Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad fully, while 22 directorates have been partially transferred to us.

The employees would eventually be transferred to us, though a case for transfer of employees is in the Islamabad High Court.

Reason for the reluctance of the employees to join us is probably they are fully conscious of the fact that they will now have to actually work here to justify their employment! Nonetheless, we will wait for the court decision.

We have streamlined the processes of internal administrative working of IMC which will ensure that each and every employee attends his office regularly and devotes the required time to the demands of his job. We have in place proper systems that will keep a check on the employees and prevent them from hoodwinking the management and the systems, he added.

The Mayor said there were some departments that the CDA wanted to retain including F-9 Park, Lake View Park, Zoo and Building Control Authority.

The prime minister has intervened in the matter and has ordered that these departments must come under the control of the IMC.

As regards the building control specifically, the prime minister, has overruled CDA’s reservations, and ordered to establish an authority within IMC that would monitor building related matters, he added.

To a question about parking issues in the capital, the mayor said parking spaces around commercial areas no doubt is now a major issue in Islamabad. Most of the parking lots are illegally occupied by people owing to which genuine residents or shoppers do not find a parking space.

“I have instructed that a detailed survey of all areas should be undertaken and we should come up with workable plans to address the issue. It is indeed a pity that people who buy or rent a single room office establish a car showroom that occupies the entire surrounding areas and the parking lots for the business. This practice has gone unchecked in the past, certainly with the connivance of the concerned staff.”

We are also considering allocating some space to these showrooms outside Islamabad so that they all relocate to these areas. We hope that you will soon see a significant improvement in this regard, he added.

“We will also make sure that all plazas and shopping malls have their own parking areas. Legally these shopping malls are bound to build parking areas also but generally they do not follow the legal procedures. Henceforth we will ensure that such violators are dealt severely “

Sheikh Anser Aziz, with regards to development of Sector G 14, said you know that this comes under the purview of the Pakistan Housing Foundation. Nevertheless this is indeed a genuine problem of all those who were allotted plots in this sector many years back and it merits our immediate attention.

“As you mentioned, some of the original allottees have unfortunately passed away. We will put in sincere efforts with the Housing Foundation authorities and convince them to expedite work on this project to enable the allottees to build their houses.”

About health services the Mayor said the prime minister has recently formed a committee for the regulation of health sector of which I am also a member.

This committee shall be responsible for monitoring the health institutions of the capital. The purpose of this authority is also to bring all the health institutions under one umbrella. Once the authority starts its formal functioning, health related facilities will improve to a great extent.

There is a plan to build four new hospitals in the areas of Tarnol, Bhara Kahu and Tarlai. Presently, people from these areas visit PIMS or Polyclinic, that not only takes a lot of their time but it has placed considerable burden on the existing health facilities.

After the establishment of the four new hospitals, burden on PIMS and Polyclinic would considerably reduce.