The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will start expansion work on Embassy Road and Ataturk Avenue in the federal capital by mid-March after a delay of almost ten months. A senior official of the CDA told Business Recorder on Monday that work on the project was delayed due to numerous issues including transfer of electricity and water supply lines.
Initially the expansion of the road began in April last year, but it was stopped after criticism over cutting of mature trees along the road. The Supreme Court had also taken a suo motu notice on cutting of trees and directed the civic agency to preserve environment of the federal capital.
Following the Supreme Court directions, the CDA official said that the Authority has planted ten new saplings for every three trees felled for the expansion of the road, adding that a total of 2500 new saplings have been planted so far.
According to PC-I of the project, the CDA was also required to plant trees of 8-10 feet height along the road and a budgetary provision was made for it.
Providing details of new plantation, the CDA official said that 500 alestonia trees, 500 pilkhan trees, 500 chir pine trees, 100 sapium trees, 500 ficus trees, and 400 sukh chain trees, have been planted so far.
The official claimed that the environmental impact of new trees would be better than the previous trees since the previous trees were 35 to 40 years old and many were near completion of their natural life.
He said that almost 25 percent of trees cut down during the road expansion project, included paper mulberry and eucalyptus trees, which were now considered prohibited species. Every year, half a million new trees were being planted by the CDA in its tree-plantation campaigns, which were undertaken twice a year, he added.
The official said that CDA chairman Amer Ali Ahmed has directed the relevant officers to coordinate with the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) for immediate shifting of the electricity lines. The water supply wing of the civic agency was directed to shift the lines.
He said that shifting of the electricity lines and water pipes in the area will take around a month, and then expansion work would start by mid-March.
The official said the road expansion would be completed within a month and this would help ease traffic congestion in the area.
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