CDA to launch mass transit system in Islamabad on basis of 2017 census

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Commission has decided to launch a mass transit system for the federal capital on the basis of the national census of the year 2017.

The 10th meeting of the Federal Commission held here with Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Amer Ali Ahmed in the chair took the decision that the Statistics Division will appoint a focal person to provide required information to the Federal Commission and the Planning Commission relating to 2017 census in Islamabad.

This exercise was required to decide feasible routes and the number of buses to be procured for the mass transit system in Islamabad on which the planning was being carried out. The meeting also decided to hire the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NesPak) as a consultant for the mass transit project in order to give residents of Islamabad, a quality transport service. The consultant will update the study while keeping in view the latest data of the population and houses in Islamabad. The Commission also discussed proposals to allow the construction of additional floors in the already existing building. However, the final decision was deferred till having more information, analysis, and car parking spaces.

The meeting decided that the permission for additional floors would not be limited to a few areas rather there would be a uniform policy for the federal capital in this regard. Meanwhile, the CDA has also shifted a four thousand feet long water pipeline from the construction site of the 7th Avenue interchange within a period of 10 days in order to ensure the supply of water to consumers residing in sectors G-6 and G-7.

Similarly work on shifting water pipelines from sites of 10th Avenue and Rawal Dam Interchange was also in progress. Moreover, an official of CDA said that the authority would also complete the water supply network for the low-income housing scheme of Alipur Farash within the next three months.