June 28, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 23, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 27: Surplus budget for the fiscal year 2008- 09 of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was announced here on Friday with an outlay of about Rs26 billion, having maximum focus on water supply, housing and environment as per the plan envisaged by the prime minister.

“Replacement of water supply network, provision of housing units and promotion of clean and green environment are top priorities and an amount of Rs705 million, Rs3.6 billion and Rs710 million has been earmarked for these sectors, respectively,” CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari said while announcing the fourth consecutive surplus budget, 75 per cent of which would be spent on development projects.

As many as 97 projects have been announced during the upcoming fiscal year which would be executed on self-finance basis by the authority while the federal government has allocated Rs392 million under the PSDP that is just six per cent of the total budget.

Mr Lashari said that realising the acute shortage of housing units, the authority had accelerated development work in under- developed sectors like I-15 and D-12 to add more than 20,000 housing units in the federal capital.

Moreover, 240 acres would be provided to the housing ministry to develop housing scheme for low-income class.

He said the CDA had also frozen non-development expenditures of Rs6.5 billion and added that the authority would try to avoid excessive sale of land assets to generate revenue, rather it would do so by efficient fund management as was done in the current year that earned the CDA Rs2 billion.

In CDA’s budget for 2008-09, the highest budget of any development authority in Pakistan, Rs2,736 million has been allocated for land acquisition and built-up property, Rs800 million for Kashmir Highway, Rs600 million for Zero Point Interchange, Rs600 million for solid waste management, Rs600 million for promenade at Rawal Lake, Rs500 million for development of D-12 sector, Rs500 million for F-9 Park, Rs500 million for rehabilitation of Islamabad Highway and Rs300 million for underpass and flyover at Faisal Avenue.

Among other projects for which allocation of Rs200 million and above has been made include the CDA officers’ residential complex, cultural complex, widening of Garden Avenue, dualisation of Lehtrar Road, development of E-12 sector, upgradation of Marghazar Zoo, re-carpeting of roads, community sports club in sectors I-9 and G-8 and development of Saidpur Tourist Village.

To a question, Mr Lashari said the authority would also construct a media tower to accommodate media organisations facing difficulty in setting up their offices in the federal capital.

CDA Member Finance Kamran Qureshi said of the total budget, Rs3,482 million would be contributed by the CDA sources like water, property and other taxes, Rs1,558 million by government grants, and Rs20.9 billion by self-financing through auction and allotment of commercial plots, etc.

He said no new tax had been imposed rather 10 per cent increase in property taxes was under consideration to enhance people’s cooperation in the development of the federal capital. He said these charges were revised upward after every three years while the authority had not done so since 2001.

In order to meet the growing water shortage in the federal capital, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has planned to install more tubewells at a cost of Rs55 million in different locations.

The authority has already installed around 187 tubewells in different parts of the city, mostly on the banks of various nullahs.

“We get 75 per cent of our water from dams that are rain-fed while the rest of the water need is fulfilled by tubewells and other sources,” a CDA official said.

The authority has also earmarked Rs100 million in its fiscal budget 2008-09 for rehabilitation and upgradation of water supply system in the capital, while an amount of Rs100 million has also been allocated for laying pipeline from G-13 to I-16.—APP