ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Wednesday asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to develop four new sectors within 40 days.

Speaking at a briefing given to him at the CDA headquarters, the minister expressed his dissatisfaction over the delay in the development of sectors D-12, E-12, I-14 and I-16.

The briefing was given on four different functions of the CDA; land and rehabilitation, financial position, development projects and overall environmental condition of the authority.

An official in the CDA informed the minister that the authority had to resolve the compensation issue of the land acquired from villagers of Siri Saral (D-12). However, the minister directed the CDA officials to settle the issue as soon as possible.

Mr Hayat said these sectors were not being development for the last 20 years. However, the authority was getting interest on the money deposited by hundreds of people who had applied for the plots in the new sectors.

Criticizing the authority’s policy on land compensation, he said: “The CDA is the only development authority in the country which has lost record of over 300 plots.”

He expressed his anger at the non-pursuance of 1,400 land acquisition cases pending in different courts.

Talking about development projects in Islamabad, the minister was of the view that the authority had not commissioned even a single development project in the last six months. He urged the CDA to expedite its pace of development work.

“I see no visible development in Islamabad since my last visit despite the fact that I had issued orders for significant improvement in the CDA performance,” he added.

Mr Hayat said the CDA was paying no heed to the proper repairing and re-carpeting of roads as a result of which almost all roads of the capital were in dilapidated condition.

Similarly, green belts and other green areas in Islamabad had been encroached, but unfortunately no step was being taken to remove them. The minister also issued instructions for the improvement of sanitation condition in the capital.

He inquired the reasons for the delay in the commissioning of the chair-lift project under which service would be started from Japanese Park to Margalla Hills.

Similarly, he also asked the CDA officials why the project of mono-train had so far not been executed. Under this project a train service had to be started at Shakarparian area.

On this occasion, the director-general services, Moiuddin Jamili, said Pakistan Railways had refused to provide maintenance service for the train. However, the minister termed it a lame excuse and directed for early commissioning of the train service.

Later, the CDA chairman, Mir Laiq Shah, told reporters about the briefing given to the minister.

Mr Shah said the minister had emphasized the need for overcoming water-scarcity in the city.

Answering to a question about irregularities in the Building Control Section (BCS) of the CDA as a result of which citizens face many hardships, the CDA chairman said the authority was following the working of BCS of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).

About regularization of daily-wage tubewell operators, the official said they would be regularized soon.