CDA asked to revise building byelaws in light of Construction Industry Ordinance
- April 25, 2020
The Federal Government has provided incentives to
construction industry through a Presidential Ordinance, but CDA has neither
taken any steps to revise its construction policy nor developed new SOPs for
construction activities. Therefore, it is the need of the hour that CDA should
revise its building byelaws in consonance with Ordinance for Construction
Industry and develop new SOPs so that construction and business activities could
flourish in the federal capital. This was stressed by Muhammad Ahmed Waheed,
President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a press statement.
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that about 5 years ago, CDA Board had
approved revised industrial building byelaws which allowed multi businesses on
industrial plots, but CDA has not issued their notification as yet due to which
industrial growth in Islamabad was stagnant. He said that LDA and other
authorities have developed new SOPs for construction activities in light of
Construction Industry Ordinance, but CDA has not made any progress to this
effect as yet. He said that CDA in principal had allowed construction of additional
storey in markets, but its procedure was made so complicated that it was not
possible to construct additional storey in markets. He said that after depositing
building map for construction, one has to wait for 2-3 years for its approval due
to which development of the federal capital was very slow. He said that due to
such difficult procedures, domestic and foreign investors were feeling no
incentive to invest in construction projects in the federal capital.
ICCI President said that CDA was providing no infrastructure for auctioned plots
due to which investors were facing great problems. He said that CDA has planned
to build new Blue Area for which international investors were being encouraged.
However, he said that after auction of plots in Blue Area, infrastructure was not
provided due to which completed buildings could not be made functional. He
urged that CDA should take all stakeholders including ICCI on board for
developing new SOPs for construction sector. He also appealed to Amir Ali
Ahmed Chairman CDA and Ali Nawaz Awan SAPM on CDA Affairs to pay urgent
attention to these issues and take remedial measures to address them. He
further said that ICCI was setting up facilitation desks of various organizations in
Chamber and added that CDA should also setup its facilitation at ICCI that would
help in addressing the issues of traders and industrialists besides facilitating
better growth of business activities.