Islamabad - Instead of completing pending housing projects, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) seems to be more inclined to fetch further funds by launching new residential sectors prior to transfer of power to recently elected local governments.
A number of sectors including, I-12, I-14, I-15, and D-12 launched decades ago are yet to be centre of attention for the civic body. The D-12 sector launched about 25 years back failed to attract the attention of the concerned for development of basic amenities for the residents.
The authority has the responsibility to develop, maintain, repair and resolve the problems of the residents of the city.
Talking to APP, resident of the sector D-12, Col (R) Naveed Ahmed said the development work of area was started back in 2001 and the civic body had collected development charges from the residents but at some later stage work was stopped leaving most of plans unaccomplished.
He said the mega project of Margalla Avenue road construction has been delayed due to lack of interest of CDA administration. The eight-kilometre road connecting Sectors B-17 and D-12 with estimated cost of Rs 588 million needed special attention of the CDA body, he said.
The project started in June 2011 and was to be completed within one year, could not be completed despite the passage of five years. “Only 30% work on the development project was completed yet, which speaks volumes about the efficiency of the only civic body of the capital city.
Another resident Fahad Hussain said advertisement for allotment of the sector appeared in the press back in 1989 but development work had not completed despite passage of more than a quarter century. He claimed to be a direct allottee of a plot in the sector.
He said due to lack of street lights in the area the entire sector converges into complete darkness after sunset and residents avoid to walk on the roads or streets. He pointed out that wild bushes and grass have covered all the surrounding areas of the sector while wild animals freely move on the roads and streets. There is no public transport, hospital and market of daily-use items, therefore, people have to rush to F-11 and E-ll markaz for shopping, Raheel, another resident of the locality said.
When Contacted Member Environment CDA, Syed Mustaifain Kazmi said staff of Environment Wing is already cutting the wild bushes from the sector. He said the authority would plant different species of trees and flowers in D-12 during the upcoming spring tree plantation campaign.
Meanwhile, unhygienic fruit stalls in front of different hospitals in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Federal capital are posing health hazards to people as these are offering stuff contrary to health and hygine standards. This aspect is still not being taken care by the concerned authorities, which seemed busy in some other activity but not attending this foremost important issue posing hazards to the health of the general public.
“Rotten and over ripe sliced fruit imbibed with filthy dust, flies,
mosquitoes are being sold at push carts and makeshift stalls inviting numerous kind of viruses andbacteria to attack their consumers” health experts said.
Number of vendors have also established different kinds of stalls of “Chaat, fruit chaat” infront of different hospitals including Pakistan Institute of Meduical Sciences (PIMS) allegedly at the behest of the officials of the concerned departments. A customer Uzma Latif said, “I like eating spicy chaat and fruits here due to their availability at comparatively inexpensive prices from these stalls.”
However, when her attention was drawn by this scribe towards the fact that these vendors have been offering unhygienic and substandard fruits to her then she said she would not visit these again as her health is more important for her than anything else.