ISLAMABAD: Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) is still waiting for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to honour its commitments made during construction of the Bhara Kahu bypass.

The bypass road was completed and opened for traffic on August 3, but the issues between the university and the CDA are still unresolved.

A portion of the bypass road crosses through the QAU land. The university faculty and students launched protests and demanded changes to the alignment. However, the government and the civic agency terming the project imperative had promised that the university would be provided an alternative land.

The QAU and CDA later made a settlement under which the civic agency would provide 225 kanals to the QAU and will also provide it a dedicated access from Murree Road besides helping it in overhauling and carpeting the existing roads on the campus.

Registrar says allotment letter of 225 kanals in lieu of university’s land still not issued

To defuse the situation, the CDA last year also issued an offer letter to the QAU, stating that 225 kanals was being offered to the university in lieu of the land that fell in the alignment of the road.

However, the CDA has neither issued a formal allotment letter nor taken any step to honour its other commitments.

When contacted, QAU Registrar Dr Raja Qaisar Ahmed said the university had been asking the CDA to honour its commitments made at a meeting of the Joint Working Group. He said QAU’s four major issues remained unresolved.

He said no allotment letter of the 225 kanals had been issued so far; no road access to the university provided through 4th Avenue as promised by the CDA in the joint working group and duly affirmed by the syndicate. Moreover, no on-ground demarcation of QAU’s 1,709 acres has been carried out while settlements and encroachments are also to be removed from the land.

He added that instead of issuing a final allotment letter, the CDA had recently once again issued an offer letter which, in fact, was also issued last year. “We want an allotment letter, not an offer letter,” he said.

QAU officials said former CDA chairman Noorul Amin Mengal a few months ago had announced that he would honour all the commitments made by the civic agency.

“Whatever was agreed before my joining between QAU-CDA I will implement it in letter and spirit. Soon I will hold a meeting with the QAU team. I will resolve their all legitimate issues and will try to give more than the previous commitments to facilitate our top ranked university,” he had said.

The QAU registrar said the recently he also took up the issue with the incumbent CDA Chairman retired Capt Anwarul Haq.

The bypass is a 5.2-km road and has two portions: a road and a flyover. The initial portion of the road crosses through the QAU area. After inauguration of the road, some work on the project is still pending as Murree Road beneath the flyover is still in a dilapidated condition and is causing problems for motorists. The underpasses are also not linked with each other.

An official of the CDA said the civic agency will overhaul the damaged portion of Murree Road under the flyover and the underpasses will be linked through service roads.

Despite repeated attempts, the CDA spokesperson could not be contacted for comments. However, an officer of the CDA said the civic agency will take steps to resolve the legitimate issues of QAU.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023