ISLAMABAD: 7th Avenue will be named after Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) board decided on Friday. The board also approved the reservation of a plot for the mayor’s residence in the Minister Enclave in F-5.

The meeting was headed by CDA chairman and mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz and held at the CDA headquarters.

The board decided to name 7th Avenue after Qasmi, who died in 2006, to pay tribute to the literary figure. The CDA will not get the government’s formal permission before it can rename the road.

According to the CDA’s spokesperson, the authority is also planning to name other roads in Islamabad after eminent personalities and martyrs in the war against terrorism.

The board also approved a 10-kanal plot for the mayor’s residence, and the MCI will now approach the prime minister for final approval.

During the meeting, the matter regarding a plot belonging to Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) was also taken up. PIDE was given 17 acre plot in H-11/2, where the CDA charges Rs42,358 per square yard, but PIDE is asking for the price to be changed to Rs14,000 per square yard. The board rejected the request, and decided that PIDE could opt for a smaller sized plot if it did not want to pay the fixed price.

While discussing the CDA’s domain of recruitments for grade 16 and above, the board decided the authority could recruit, as the Federal Public Service Commission has also allowed it do so.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017