ISLAMABAD: Construction to widen Ataturk Avenue has been suspended for the past six months, allegedly due to negligence on the part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

CDA officers had initially shown an interest in starting the Ataturk Avenue project, but appear to have lost interest after they finished felling 200 trees along the road.

The tree felling, after it was highlighted on various forums, led the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) to impose an environment protection order (EPO) on the project, halting work on the expansion because the CDA had cut trees without informing the Pak-EPA.

CDA seeking special funding to begin third phase of Islamabad Highway expansion project

Sources say that since then, CDA officials have not properly pursue the case for the withdrawal of the EPO that halted the project.

CDA Member Engineering Shahid Sohail admitted that the project was “facing delay”. “Our environment wing had submitted the requisite details to the Pak-EPA. We will start the project when they lift the EPO,” he added.

The CDA cut trees, including pines, that had taken decades to grow in order to begin the expansion of Ataturk Avenue, which is also known as Embassy Road.

Some CDA officials Dawn spoke to said the trees should not have been felled in the first place, and if there was a need to do so, the CDA could have chosen to transplant the trees, which is common practice the world over.

They said that when the trees had been removed, there was no justification to suspend work on the expansion.

In February 2016, the Pak-EPA had approved the CDA’s project to expand the road, but had warned the authority in a letter that it would proceed against the CDA under section 17 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act in case of a violation of its directives.

According to the Pak-EPA, the CDA was supposed to submit the details of trees to be felled, but had cut them without informing the agency, resulting in the EPO.

Islamabad Highway expansion

The project to widen Islamabad Highway, which was inaugurated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in July 2015, has faced inordinate delays because the CDA has yet to begin its third phase.

The highway is one of the busiest roads in the capital, catering to over 150,000 vehicles daily according to CDA officials.

Under the original PC-1, the highway was to be widened to five lanes from Zero Point to the G.T. Road in Rawat, linking it to Motorway II, within two years. In 2015, the CDA decided to execute the project in three phases due to financial constraints.

The first phase, which included widening the 4km road from Zero Point to Faizabad was completed after several post-bid changes – an inquiry into the project was initiated that was brushed under the carpet after a few months.

The second phase, from Faizabad to the Koral interchange is almost complete other than Khanna Bridge, which is said to be finished this June.

However, over two years since the project was launched, the authority has yet to start work on the third phase, widening the highway from Koral interchange to Rawat, and does not have funding for this portion of the project.

“We have decided to request the federal government to release Rs10bn in special funding for phase three of the project. We are hopeful that the government will release the required funds,” Mr Sohail said.

The CDA member engineering said that once it begins, the third phase will be completed within two years.

CDA officials Dawn spoke to said the authority, if facing a shortage of funds, could involve private housing societies in making contributions as there are a number of housing societies on either side of the highway whose operators would benefit greatly if the road is expanded.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018