The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has taken a significant step towards restarting construction work on a service road in the I-12 sector by seeking a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). This decision comes after the FIA registered a case against six CDA officials and a contractor for alleged irregularities in development work within the I-12 sector last year.
Sector I-12 Development Nears Completion
The FIA initiated the case based on a complaint by the then CDA Human Resource Development Director, Fiaz Ahmed Wattoo. A First Information Report (FIR) was dated February 9, 2022, and the case involved six officials from the CDA along with a contractor.
Sources within the civic authority revealed that the construction work had come to a standstill, leaving the project unfinished. To initiate work with a new contractor and complete the remaining project, the CDA’s engineering wing has formally requested the FIA’s input on the possibility of issuing fresh tenders.
An unnamed CDA officer commented on this development, saying, “The former contractor, who faced the FIA case, had abandoned work, and we want to get the remaining work completed, therefore, on Friday, through an official letter we sought FIA’s input in this regard.”
Last year, the CDA had provided the FIA with a fact-finding report, detailing the award of the service road construction project to a contractor. According to the report, changes were made to the project’s design without following the prescribed procedure and receiving necessary approvals.
While the FIA continues to investigate the case, the CDA is eager to resume work on the service road. A CDA engineer explained that upon discovering the stalled project, CDA Chairman Anwarul Haq directed them to seek input from the FIA on whether they could proceed with new tendering to complete the remaining work, given the default by the former contractor.
Development work in the I-12 sector had begun several years ago, and in June of the previous year, construction of streets and other infrastructure commenced. The work was initially scheduled for completion by April 2024. However, the service road construction was left unfinished.
Update on the Sector Development
A CDA director clarified that development work was progressing satisfactorily and would likely be completed on schedule by April next year, except for the service road. If the FIA grants approval for awarding a new contract for the service road, the CDA will make every effort to complete the remaining work within the established deadline.
Read more: Serena Chowk Traffic Nightmare Persists as CDA Suspends Underpass Project
Final Words
The I-12 sector encompasses over 6,000 residential plots, having been launched many decades ago. Until last year, limited efforts were made towards its development. The sector also served as a dumping site for an extended period. However, the CDA is now making substantial efforts to ensure the sector’s development, with the chairman personally overseeing the early completion of development work in these areas.
