ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will either engage National Logistics Cell (NLC) or Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the development of C-14 and C-15 residential sectors.

Officials of the CDA’s Engineering Wing said the civic agency had decided that work in sectors C-14 and C-15 would be initiated either by the NLC or FWO. These two sectors are located at the foothills of Margalla Hills along the length of Margalla Avenue.

The officials said recently NLC deposited the lowest bid for C-14’s development. The estimated cost for this sector is Rs1.33 billion whereas the NLC deposited a bid of around Rs1.5 billion.

“Soon we will accept this bid to get development work of this sector started,” an officer of the CDA said, adding that meanwhile, file work for awarding a contract, worth over Rs1.1 billion, of C-15, was almost complete and soon the CDA would call bids from government contractors. The officer said that construction of streets, drainage, water supply and so on will be carried out in C-15, adding that work on construction of a service road is already in progress, which is being executed by a private contractor.

CDA official says NLC’s bid of around Rs1.5bn for C-14 development under consideration

The CDA had awarded contract of construction of roads in C-15 in 2016-17, which is still incomplete.

Whereas, the civic body’s land directorate has also failed to issue allotment letters against built-up property (BuP) of this sector to get possession of land as villagers had been saying that without the allotment letters, they would not leave the area.

“After engaging a government contractor – FWO or NLC – development work of these two sectors would be completed in record time,” an official of the CDA said.

Upon being asked whether private contractors will raise objections for not being allowed to participate in the bidding process, the officer said: “Last year, the CDA board had already allowed its engineering wing to get the development work of these two sectors completed through government contractors only under rule 42F.”

Meanwhile, sources said CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed chaired a meeting, focusing primarily on under-developed sectors.

The meeting was attended by Member Engineering Syed Munawar Shah as well as other relevant officials. The chairman directed the officers concerned to resolve the issue of possession of land in E-12 to expedite development work.

Last year, the CDA had awarded contract for development of two sub-sectors of E-12. However, work in the area was progressing at a slow pace. Similarly, the CDA also received bids for development of sub-sector 4 of E-12, but the lowest bid was yet to be accepted to enable the contractor to commence work.

On the other hand, bids are yet to be called for development of sub-sector I of E-12, which has been facing the issue of adverse possession.

Recently, the CDA had also awarded contract worth Rs542 million for development of two sub-sectors – 2 and 3 –of I-12.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the civic authority said it had called a tender worth Rs146 million for completion of remaining work in D-12.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2022