KARACHI, May 22: Commander 5 Corps and President of the Executive Board, DHA, Lt-Gen. Ahsan Azhar Hayat visited the Defence Housing Authority's main office for the first time on Monday.

The corps commander also attended a briefing given to him on the latest update of DHA's futuristic mega projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt-Gen Ahzar Hayat appreciated the efficacy and versatility of the landmark DHA projects and asked the authority to speed up the work on the ongoing projects.

He said the DHA as a trendsetter in housing and modern community living had always set impressive standards for others to emulate. He asked the DHA management and staff to maintain the credibility and good reputation of the organization.

DHA Administrator Brig Maqsood Hussain in his briefing said that the ongoing work on the DHA desalination project was right on schedule. He said the DHA desalination plant was unique of its kind and would start functioning by Dec and would be fully operational in March 2007. He added that it would greatly help overcome water shortage in the DHA.He said the commissioning of the desalination project precedent would be used for the establishment of desalination plants all along the coastal belt as a viable solution to get potable water as well as electricity.

The administrator, however, regretted that despite commissioning of the landmark K-III project the CDGK and the KWSB had yet to ensure the supply of the additional 3mgd share of water to the DHA as promised earlier. He said that as a consequence, the DHA residents continued to face a serious water shortage.

The DHA chief engineer said the survey, consultancy and tendering for the fast-track infrastructural development of Phase-VIII had been completed. He reiterated that the development work would be completed in three to four years.

He said the Phase-VIII with an area of over 4,000 acres constituted 45 per cent of the whole DHA.

He said the development of Phase-VIII was based on the contemporary town planning concepts and included wide roads network as per the recommendations of a NESPAK study, laying underground power cable network and execution of all works by the FWO and NLC to ensure quality and high construction standards.

The director for town planning said the detailed topographical survey and progressive town planning of DHA Phase-III astride the Super Highway was in hand. He said the new DHA was being developed as a modern satellite town of the city with the availability of all basic amenities.

The director for special project said the pace of work on the DHA Water Front Development Project as a modern public recreational facility would soon pick up pace.

The corps commander in his concluding remarks asked the DHA to work in coordination and in tandem with the CDGK in execution of all development works. He also directed the housing authority to take immediate and tangible measures for the provision of better healthy and secure living environments to the residents.—PPI