ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The Planning Commission (PC) on Monday directed the city managers to bear 50 per cent cost of the military parade ground and expo centre being established near Faizabad at a cost of Rs500 million, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the PC directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials at a meeting to pool half of the cost of the project.

The remaining cost of the project would be earmarked by the government under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

The PC was of the view that the CDA could also utilise the parade ground complex for arranging different functions and entertainment programmes, as the military authority would use it only for two to three months in a year in connection with Independence Day and Pakistan Day celebrations.

It may be mentioned that earlier the authority had refused to finance the project with an argument that the CDA would have nothing to do with the military parade ground.

The CDA officials also pleaded that it had already provided its precious land measuring 1 square kilometer for the project free of cost; therefore, it would be unfair if it was forced to share its cost too.

The government had earlier tasked the CDA with developing the huge parade ground promising that the cost of the project would be born entirely by the government, the sources said.

The one square kilometre site of the parade complex has already been cleared of thousands of trees for starting work on the project and first of the two phases of the complex is scheduled to be completed before March 23, 2008.

In the first phase, only the marching tracks would be laid, while the complex building, spectators’ stands and other structures will be completed in the second phase.

A forty acres area has been cleared for the parade ground along with 80 acres for an international expo centre next to it.

“The military will use the parade ground for the 23rd March Parade, otherwise it would be used for holding events like exhibitions, musical shows and funfairs,” a CDA official said.

Though thousands of paper mulberry trees had to be felled at the site, he said: “We are trying our best to save pine trees from the axe.”

He said an area of one square kilometer in Shakarparian portion of the National Park area had been cleared for development of the parade ground and other facilities.

An environment wing worker said besides paper mulberry, Sheesham and trees of other varieties had also been cut down.

Environmentalists, who severely criticised the CDA for cutting trees to build roads, may again put it in hot water for axing thousands more trees for building the parade ground.

Pakistan Day parade used to be held at the Racecourse Ground in Rawalpindi but Pakistan People’s Party government shifted the venue to the Jinnah Avenue in front of Parliament House in 1989.

But public criticism of the damage caused to the city roads and disturbance in traffic flow during the parade rehearsals made the government to shift the venue to Jinnah Sports Complex last March.