ISLAMABAD: The city managers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Thursday decided that they will jointly use a new landfill site to be built near Chakwal.

The decision was taken in a meeting held here with Minister for Planning Asad Umar in the chair.

“The meeting also decided that the CDA and RDA would sign an MoU for joint use of waste disposal facilities for the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Planning after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Chief Commissioner Islamabad and CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed, Commissioner Rawalpindi Mohammad Mehmood, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CDA Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan, MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz and others.

Earlier, the CDA had planned a landfill site in Sangjani but during a public hearing conducted by Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) a few months ago people living in the adjoining areas, including B-17, raised objections and requested the agency to relocate the site to protect them from its hazardous impact.

CDA and RDA will sign MoU on use of facility on Mandra Road, says planning ministry

The CDA officials then started exploring new options and on Thursday they got a relief when the planning minster decided that the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Capital Development Authority will sign an MoU for jointly using the landfill site to be built by RDA on Mandra Road near Chakwal.

The capital, which generates over 600 tonnes of waste every day, has been without a permanent landfill site, leaving the civic agency with no option but to dump garbage in the underdeveloped I-12 sector where the CDA has already allotted thousands of plots and would begin development in the next few months.

“The landfill site is a chronic issue of Islamabad and today the meeting decided that both RDA and CDA will use the new landfill site to be set up in Mandra,” said Ali Nawaz Awan. He said soon both the authorities will sign the MoU.

The meeting was held to review work on the Rawalpindi Ring Road, the proposed eastern bypass and the waste management site projects for Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The meeting was informed that the procurement process for the Ring Road project had started and minor outstanding matters were being resolved.

The minister said since the project was being executed in PPPA mode it shall be implemented by a single entity that is RDA. The CDA shall ensure maximum facilitation to the RDA.

Sources said construction of an interchange at Sangjani was also discussed. The RDA will acquire the land falling in the CDA limits which would be used for the construction of the two km portion of the road and the proposed interchange.

The minister also directed the civic bodies as well as the PPPA to examine the economic viability of the eastern bypass project.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2021