The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has stopped work on the expansion of Embassy Road and Attaturk Avenue for over two weeks after cutting down over 400 mature trees and digging huge holes along the road side, a Business Recorder team noted.
A director of the civic body told Business Recorder on Saturday that expansion work on these two roads commenced during the previous PML-N government, but it was not completed due to a stay order by the Supreme Court and reservations of Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) over felling of the trees.
He said the environment watchdog had directed the civic agency in October 2017 to stop work on the project as the trees had been chopped without intimating the agency.
Pak-EPA had issued an environment protection order (EPO), but the CDA did not submit details to contest its accounts for delay in completion of these roads.
The official said widening of these roads was initially approved in February 2016, but the work is yet to be completed due to different issues. He acknowledged that the PTI government has released the required funds and stated that "hopefully work on these roads would be completed in the next couple of months."
About maintenance and carpeting of other roads in the federal capital, he admitted that the work is going at a snails pace due to shortage of funds, but the dilapidated condition of the roads would soon be addressed, he promised.
The official said carpeting of the roads in 'F' and 'G' sectors was to be undertaken in 2015 with a cost of Rs 1 billion, but it could not be done due to various reasons. He said cost of the project has escalated at least ten times, but now the work is in progress and would be completed in a month.
He said service roads, footpaths, streets and other civic facilities are in poor condition in majority of the sectors in Islamabad and the matter has been raised with the Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi. The official said the PTI government is working to empower the metropolitan corporation to undertake all the development work in the federal capital.
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