ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CDA Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan said that the business community was playing important role in the development of economy and steps would be taken to address their CDA related issues.  He said this while talking to a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce Industry (ICCI) that called on him here Saturday. The delegation was led by Rafat Farid, Senior Vice President of the Chamber. Iftikhar Anwar Sethi Vice President ICCI, Tariq Sadiq, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Zafar Bakhtawari, Sheikh Atif Ikram, Ch. Waheed ud Din and others were in the delegation. Ali Nawaz Awan said that trade change issue was important for business community and CDA would make this process easier so that businessmen could change trade as per current needs of business. He said the process of lease renewals of commercial plots would also be made easy to facilitate traders and industrialists. He said that CDA Master Plan was being revisited to improve it in conformity with current needs.  Awan said the performance of CDA would be improved through automation and one window facility would be further improved to provide better services to the business community and citizens. He assured that all highlighted issues of business community would be addressed to facilitate them.

Speaking at the occasion, Rafat Farid Senior Vice President, Iftikhar Anwar Sethi Vice President ICCI and other members of the delegation highlighted various issues of business community that needed urgent attention of CDA for redress. They said that CDA had assured to update building byelaws to meet the current needs of businesses and the civic body should expedite that process. The delegation said that CDA should revise annual ground rent of industrial plots to make it affordable. They said that the lease renewal process of CDA was quite complicated which needed streamlining along with revision of its rates.

The members of the delegation said that CDA had agreed in principal to allow construction of additional storey in markets, but was charging very high rates due to which it was not feasible and emphasized that CDA should reduce charges for additional storey. They said one window facility of CDA should be further improved to provide better services.

They said that there was no more space in existing industrial areas of Islamabad for setting up new industries and urged that CDA in cooperation with ICCI should work for establishing a new industrial estate in Islamabad to promote industrialization. They said trade license fee should also be reduced.