ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to construct a parking plaza adjacent to Centaurus Mall after scraping its digital parking contract awarded about a year ago.

Sources said the civic body decided to hold a fact-finding inquiry into the matter after alleged wrongdoing in the contract for the digital parking was pointed out. The management is also planning to scrap the digital parking contract.

Sources said that the board was told that a fact-finding inquiry would be conducted into the issue of digital parking in various areas, including in the Blue Area on the plot adjacent to Centaurus and in Jinnah Super Market.

The CDA board, which met at the civic agency headquarters, decided that a parking plaza would be constructed on CDA’s land adjacent to the shopping mall.

Board to hire chartered accountant firm to improve financial governance

Last month, the civic agency auctioned 15 shops in the Blue Area parking plaza near Savour Food for Rs1.5 billion.

In 2022, the CDA started building a parking plaza in the Blue Area near Savour Foods, which was supposed to be completed by March 2023, but it faced considerable delay. However, now, the building is almost completed and will be made operational soon.

“During the 5th CDA Board meeting, approval was granted for the bids received in the public auction of commercial plots. The meeting was briefed that in the recent public auction, 17 commercial plots and 15 commercial shops were auctioned. In total, CDA received Rs23.4 billion from the auction of 32 commercial properties. The briefing further informed that the recent auction received bids approximately 25pc higher than the reserve price, with one commercial plot receiving 126pc above the reserve price, and another plot receiving 85pc above the reserve price, marking a historic achievement for CDA,” read a statement issued after the CDA board meeting.

The CDA meeting decided to form a committee to review the leasing of commercial properties under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA).

Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa emphasised that a review would be carried out regarding the leasing or renting of commercial properties by DMA on market rates. A committee has been formed for this purpose.

Moreover, the meeting decided to include reputable chartered accountant firms on CDA’s panel in accordance with the law to improve financial governance in the civic agency.

During the board meeting, the plot of the Punjab Employees Social Security Institution in Sector I-10/4 was cancelled due to default, and it was decided that the plot would be allotted to the Islamabad Employees Social Security Institution after fulfilling the legal requirements.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2025