CDA asked to improve infrastructure in markets

Khalid Iqbal Malik, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in a meeting with Capital Development Authority (CDA) Directors on Thursday said that due to lack of parking and other facilities, 50 percent sales in markets has decreased and urged that CDA should give priority focus to improve basic infrastructure in markets including parking facilities, roads, footpaths, street lights, sewerage system and other amenities.

He was talking to Ali Sufian Directtor Municipal Administration, Khalid Asif Director Roads and Markets Maintenance, Altaf Khan Director Streetlights and Sardar Khan Zimrii Director Sanitation and Sewerage of CDA who visited ICCI to discuss the issues and find out their optimum solutions in consultation with business community. Representatives of various local markets were also present at the occasion.

Khalid Iqbal Malik said that Aamir Ali Ahmed, former Member Administration CDA was very cooperative with business community in resolving issues and called upon the government to bring him back to CDA as his presence in the civic body would help in addressing issues of trade and industry.

He said that all markets of the federal capital were facing serious issues due to which business activities were suffering. He said it was high time that CDA should pay more attention to markets that were generating lot of revenue for the national exchequer. He said trade license fee for shops in Islamabad was four times high compared to other municipalities and urged that CDA should reduce it to Rs.1000 per trade license for small shops.

He said Hamza Shafqaat, former Director Municipal Administration CDA in a meeting with ICCI had agreed to fix Rs.60/ per sq yds as board tax for shops and stressed that CDA should approve this rate that would improve its revenue.

Khalid Malik Senior Vice President ICCI, Zafar Bakhtawari, Ejaz Abbasi, Ajmal Baloch, Khalid Chaudhry, Qazi Ilyas President Jinnah Super, Yousaf Rajput President Blue Area, Raja Zulfiqar President G-9 Markaz, Tahir Abbasi from F-10 Markaz, Muhammad Hussain General Secretary Super Market, Zafar Gujjar from G-10/4 and representative of various other markets also spoke at the occasion and highlighted issues of their markets.

Speaking at the occasion, Ali Sufian Director Municipal Administration, Khalid Asif Director Roads and Markets Maintenance, Altaf Khan Director Streetlights and Sardar Khan Zimrii Director Sanitation and Sewerage of CDA assured that the ICCI suggestions for reducing trade license fee and board tax would be taken up with CDA Management for consideration.

They said all possible efforts would be made to address the highlighted issues in order to facilitate the growth of business activities. It was agreed that ICCI and CDA would nominate focal persons to coordinate for resolving issues of business community.