Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that Bara Kahu has become one of the largest commercial centers of Islamabad but due to lack of attention, the traders of the area are facing multiple problems. He emphasized that the CDA should include Bara Kahu in Islamabad’s Municipality to ensure its better development. He said this while addressing a delegation of Bara Kahu Markazi Anjuman-eTajiran that visited ICCI led by its President Raja Zahid Dhaniyal. Vice President of Anjuman Shah Anwar, Secretary General Syed Hasnain Shah, Naveed Abbasi, Masood Baloch and others were in the delegation.

Ahsan Bakhtawari assured that as a CDA board member, he would play a role to resolve the key issues of Bara Kahu’s traders. He said that he will try his best to convince Chairman CDA to visit the Bara Kahu market so that he can see the on-ground problems himself and take necessary steps to solve them quickly. He assured the delegation that ICCI would fully cooperate with their Association in its efforts for the betterment of Bara Kahu traders.

Speaking on the occasion, Raja Zahid Dhaniyal, President, Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajiran, Bara Kahu, said that Bara Kahu is still considered a rural area, due to which it is facing problems in prompt resolution of issues. He demanded that to ensure better development of Bara Kahu, it should be included in the municipal limits of Islamabad. He said that there are serious sewage problems in Bara Kahu while the drainage system is also not functioning properly, so there is a need for CDA to address these problems immediately. He said that the condition of Simli Dam Road has deteriorated and CDA should repair it soon. He further said that the bypass has been opened at Bara Kahu but the road under the bridge has become dilapidated so CDA should focus on its urgent repair and carpeting. He said that the sanitation arrangements in Bara Kahu are almost non-existent, while Bara Kahu market is also in dire need of a filtration plant and public toilets. He demanded that CDA and MCI should Improve sanitation arrangements in Bara Kahu and ensure availability of filtration plants and public toilets. He said that there is no parking facility available in Bara Kahu market due to which the traders are facing difficulties so he urged that CDA should construct a multi-storied parking plaza in Bara Kahu. He assured that Bara Kahu Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajiran will cooperate with ICCI to resolve the issues of traders.

Zafar Bakhtawari, former President ICCI and Secretary General UBG said that a large number of traders are engaged in promoting trade activities in Bara Kahu and this market is providing jobs to thousands of people. He stressed that CDA and MCI should try to develop Bara Kahu on modern lines. Former senior vice presidents of the chamber, Khalid Chaudhry and Jamshed Akhtar Sheikh, Maqsood Tabish and others were also present on the occasion.