ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has allocated Rs1.5 million for designing of the third phase of Blue Area commercial Centre to be established between sector G-8 and F-8.

This was informed at a briefing given to the in charge District Army Monitoring Team, Brig Liaquat, and the CDA chairman Mir Laiq Shah at the CDA office on Tuesday.

Under the approved extension plan over 100 commercial complexes will be constructed at the proposed site.

It was informed that the CDA in collaboration with the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), had organized a layout plan (designing) competition for the third phase of the Blue Area.

Architects from all over the country will be invited as judges. The entire process of designing is likely to be completed within four months.

The participants of the competition have to prepare the layout plan under the parameters and terms and conditions to be set by the CDA.

Blue Area is one of the biggest commercial centres of Islamabad. It has been divided into 11 phases, of which two phases between sector G-6, G-7 and F-7 have been completed.

The CDA director, architect, said they had already invited tenders for the preparation of the layout plan.

It was informed that the construction on the third phase would start by the first quarter of next year.

Earlier, there were two proposals for the preparation of the plan under which commercial units would be established on 200-feet broad and 1km long strip along sector G-8 and F-8.

The authority has decided to construct parking lots in the extended and existing portion of the Blue Area. These parking lots would be established under the CDA annual works programme 2001-2002.

The design wing of the CDA has also been directed to make plans for the utilization of open spaces between commercial plazas in the Blue Area.

Besides constructing parking lots, the owners of commercial plazas would be bound to provide car parking facility to the people in the basement of their plazas, the source said.