Sectoral, non-sectoral areas of Islamabad under single regulatory regime

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said on Wednesday that the federal cabinet had approved drastic changes for land acquisition under the CDA Act 1961 whereby the Section 4 was imposed to get land from owners at throwaway prices and distributed among politicians, generals, civil servants and journalists.

While briefing journalists here at the Planning Ministry on Wednesday, along with Ali Nawaz Awan and others, Asad Umar said the government had decided to treat sectoral and non-sectoral areas of Islamabad under a single regulatory regime. He said the cabinet had formed a committee where the acquisition of land was done but if the awarded amount was not paid, then the payment would be made in accordance with market value.

The local government system-related law for Islamabad has been vetted by the Ministry of Law and forwarded to the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC). The local government, he said, was proposed where mayor of the ICT would have powers to run the city. The CDA would play its role as regulator. More than 50 percent area of ICT belonged to non sectoral and the PTI-led government announced Rs4.5 billion package out of which they had already utilized Rs1.5 billion on small schemes while tenders were issued for utilizing another Rs1.5 billion during the current fiscal year.

Regarding the Metro project from Peshawar Mor to the New Islamabad Aiport, Ali Nawaz Awan said the project would be completed but raised the question that the number of commuters would be too low. He said that although it was a flawed project but now it would be made operational.

Asad Umar said that five colleges would be constructed for the ICT areas. He said the government was constructing 50-bed hospital in Bara Kahu while PolyClinic's extension for having 200 bed facility was under construction in the G-11 area. On the GT Road, the government was constructing 200-bed hospital near Tarnol, which would be completed by 2023. The government, he said, had decided construction of Trauma Center in PIMS. The federal government would construct 19 Basic Health Units while six new BHUs would be built.

Regarding water supply for Islamabad, he said the project of 100 million gallons water per day was now at the practical stage after which the supply of water would be more than doubled.

Raja Khurram Nawaz, MNA from PTI, said that the job quota for Islamabad’s inhabitants was given in different departments. Ali Nawaz Awan, Special Assistant for PM on CDA Affairs, said that there was no Food Safety Authority for Islamabad. He had introduced a bill that was approved by the National Assembly and now it would be tabled in joint session. There is no slaughter house in Islamabad and the government is going to construct it, he added. He also said that the construction of the Margalla Road from Sangjani to D-12 in the first phase would be completed next year in October 2022.

To another query about slashing down of DC rates for rural property, Asad Umar said that there should be consultation with the FBR for determining its exact value. It is relevant to mention here that the DC rate for rural parts of ICT were reduced to the tune of trillions of rupees before the last budget without taking the FBR into confidence.