ISLAMABAD: On the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to carry out landscaping work in federal capital on the pattern of Baku.

A delegation from Azerbaijan visited various areas of the capital in this regard, and after its three-day visit, the delegation comprising experts of landscaping and renovation work, met CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa and his team at the CDA headquarters on Wednesday.Azeri Ambassador Khazar Farhadov also attended the meeting.

Last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the CDA to conduct Baku-type landscaping work in Islamabad. An official of the CDA said on the request of the prime minister, the delegation visited Islamabad.

During the last three days, the landscaping experts visited various areas including Srinagar Highway, Constitution Avenue, Expressway, Daman-i-Koh, Pir Sohawa, Lake View Park, Rose and Jasmine Garden, F-9 Park and Shakarparianas well as Melody Food Street.

Azeri delegation visits various areas of capital; to jointly submit proposals along with civic body’s technical team

During the meeting, the delegation informed the CDA chairman that they visited various places and would finalise their proposals.

“It was decided in the meeting that CDA’s technical team and the delegation will jointly give proposals to further improve the maintenance of Islamabad and its landscape,” says a press release.

Mr Randhawa said the expertise of brotherly country Azerbaijan would be utilised to make Islamabad beautiful by adopting modern techniques and traditional architecture methods.

During the visits and subsequent meeting, the methods of making small and beautiful landscaping on footpaths and pedestrian roads were also discussed.

“Baku-style landscaping will be done along Srinagar Highway in the first phase. Similarly, Islamabad Food Street will be improved by utilising expertise of the visiting delegation in the first phase,” the press release said.

It said for the beauty of the city, short-term, mid-term and long-term projects would be worked together.

A CDA official said the delegation was set to fly back to their country and after completing their work, they would share the design of landscaping and beautification with the CDA online and if the need arose, another meeting could be arranged in future, he said.

It is relevant to note here that Islamabad used to be known as one of the most beautiful cities of the world. However, with the passage of time, to some extent, it has lost its beauty and greenery because of mushroom growth of the unauthorised construction including large number of slums and illegal housing societies.

Whereas, landscaping work, which is part of every road development projects with significant allocation of funds, is also not up to the mark.

Last year, during his first stint, PM Sharif had taken notice of substandard landscaping work before directing the CDA to improve it and try to adopt the Baku model.

During inauguration of Margalla Avenue some days after his visit to Baku last year, he had directed the CDA to follow landscaping work done in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Sources said during his last year’s visit, the prime minister was highly impressed by the landscaping work along the roads of Azerbaijan’s capital. He then requested the Azeri government to send a delegation of experts to Islamabad to help CDA in this regard.

Some officials in the civic body Dawn spoke to said there was a need for a special audit of the already conducted landscaping work of major road projects.

“In every projects, millions of rupees were spent in the name of landscaping; there is a need to conduct audit of all landscaping project that were executed during the last one decade,” an official said.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024