ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is mulling over changes to the city’s master plan, as a portion of the mauve and commercial areas near the Golra roundabout on Kashmir Highway may fall within the alignment of metro bus project from Peshawar Mor to the new airport.

Concerned officials in the CDA told Dawn that the existing Kashmir Highway has five lines on either side from Zero Point to the Golra roundabout, but the federal government wants to construct five-lane roads on either side from the roundabout to the new airport with an additional median lane for the metro bus.

The officials said there are two existing lanes from the roundabout, and if the government makes each side five lanes wide, around a kilometre of the mauve and commercial areas could fall within the roads’ alignment.

An interchange has also been planned at the roundabout, which would eliminate a portion of the mauve area.

A source in the National Highway Authority (NHA), the executing agency of the 25 kilometre metro track from Peshawar Mor to the new airport, told Dawn the CDA recently wrote the NHA a letter about possible disturbance to the mauve area.

CDA to discuss matter, would require federal govt’s approval to change plan

“It is important to note to suggest any fundamental change that may negatively affect the Master Plan of the Capital – which would not only cause inordinate delay in project completion, but also because of E.I.A, S.I.A and other such requirement for Master Plan revision, may result in abandoning of the project itself,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, CDA’s Member Planning and Design Asad Mehboob Kayani met with his team and discussed this matter on Friday. A source said it was decided that the final decision in the matter would be taken in another meeting, likely to be held on Monday.

“We require permission from the federal government to make changes to the master plan. We will discuss the matter in detail in another meeting. If the need arises, we will ask the federal government for a change to the master plan to move the mauve and commercial areas to some other side within the specific sector,” Mr Kayani said.

CDA chairman Sheikh Ansar Aziz told Dawn no decision has been taken yet by the CDA.

He added that changes could be made to the master plan with the federal government’s approval for a public interest project.

The CDA has also asked the Capital Administration and Development Division about a Rs2.5 billion subsidy from the Ministry of Finance for the Punjab Mass Transit Authority for the Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus service.

The metro bus service subsidy is shared by the federal and Punjab governments, with the former contributing over 60pc of the subsidy share.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2017