Senate body voices concern over absence of CDA chairman

The Senate's Functional Committee on Government Assurance on Wednesday expressed concern and dismay over the absence of the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in its meeting and summoned him in its next meeting scheduled for December 30.
The committee met in the Parliament House here under the chairpersonship of Kalsoom Parveen. Its members Almas Parveen, Suriya Amiruddin, Sabina Rauf, Abdur Rashid and Rehana Yahya Baloch attended the meeting. Chief Executive of the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) Javed Pervez said that on the direction of the sub-committee, in a series of meetings of the CDA and Iesco officials were held under the convenorship of a representative of the Ministry of Water and Power, it was decided that the Iesco would complete external electrification of Sector I-16 by utilising the saving amount from Grid Station component without any additional/extra demand.
He said that both the departments would evolve a watch and ward mechanism through mutual consultation/co-operation to safeguard the electrical material till sufficient population in the sector. Member Engineer CDA Syed Ibrar Hussain Shah said that a sum of Rs 59.84 million has been paid by the CDA to the Iesco as full payment of external electrification in 2005. The Iesco has already started the work and it has already installed P.C poles on along the main vehicular roads and streets in sub-sectors I-16/1, I-16/2, I-16/3 and I-16/4 and five transformers in Sector I-16/2.
He said the CDA also paid a sum of Rs 93.17 million to M/s SNGPL in 2005 to develop the infrastructure. Furthermore 48700 meter out of 80600 meter pipeline of internal Sui Gas work and 2500 meters out of 7000 meters main supply line have been laid but now the work is held up by the SNGPL even directed by Senator Mrs Kalsoom Parveen during the visit of Sector I-16 on November 24. He said that the work on water supply has been taken up and 85 percent work completed. He said work was in progress on the main source of water from Shah Allah Ditta to I-16, 70 percent of which would likely to be to be completed by February 2012 subject to acquisition of land at Five No pocket.