ISLAMABAD: The work on the underpass connecting G-7 and G-8 on Faisal Avenue has been halted for the last two months as Pak-Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) yet to restore No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

The CDA had obtained necessary environmental impact analysis (EIA) from the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) before it started the Rs395 millions project in October 2019.

But Pak-EPA reportedly suspended the EIA in first week of November because, according to EPA, CDA did not follow some directives. However, since then the work on main project has been halted.

CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali said CDA have been pushing the EPA to restore the EIA, as the public welfare project was facing unnecessary delay. He said that CDA had been following the instruction of EPA, as it has planted around 10,000 trees to protect environment.

“Our talks are underway, we hope within few days, the issue will be resolved,” he said. Sources in CDA said because of closure of work, the civic agency could face escalation charges by the contractor.

DG Pak-EPA Farzana Altaf could not be approached on Wednesday to elicit her point of view over delay in restoration of EIA.

However, in November, she had told Dawn that CDA had set up a camp office on a greenbelt and had not deputed an environmentalist at the site and a committee was also not formed.

CDA officials have been claiming that all objections raised by EPA have been removed.

On project site, the CDA has completed expansion of service roads where traffic of Faisal Avenue will be diverted during construction of underpass.

“We are waiting for restoration of EIA to move forward to ease traffic on busy Faisal Avenue,” the CDA’s spokesperson said and claimed that there is no delay on CDA’s part.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2020