NHA takes over Islamabad’s roads

The federal government has started cutting the size of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) under its reforms program designed by Dr. Ishrat Hussein, the advisor to the prime minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity.
Under the program which came before the federal cabinet last year, the authority, huge establishment looking after Pakistan’s capital would be absolved of many responsibilities and powers and thus reduced to be a policy-making organization in practical terms. Many of CDA responsibilities would be handed them over to various federal ministries.
As far as the reforms are concerned, the cabinet has decided to give Road Directorate of CDA to the National Highway Authority (NHA). Authority’s ministry–the Ministry of Communication—has been asked to transfer the said directorate to its fold.
The reforms have brought fortunes for another ministry—the Ministry of Housing—too as CDA has been forbidden from developing new residential sectors. The authority would only complete stalled residential sectors.
After the approval of the cabinet, the Interior Division had been asked to prepare an action plan. As a result, the Interior Division furnished a report on the implementation status of the recommendations approved by the cabinet to the Institutional Reforms Cell.
Now as per the report, it is decided in the aforementioned cabinet meeting that the CDA Hospital and Health Services Directorate should be transferred to the Ministry of National Health Services while the CDA Model School should be transferred to the Ministry of Federal Education.
The Sports and Culture Directorate would be transferred to the Ministry of Interprovincial Coordination and the Road Directorate, Machinery Pool Organisation (MPO), Special Projects and Geological Lab would be transferred to the NHA.
The project directorates for the National Police Academy, Parliament Lodges, Electrical and Mechanical Development, Aiwan-i-Sadr, MinistersEnclave and Federal Government Residences and Lodges would be transferred to a dedicated cell under the Ministry of Housing and Works. The letter said that the primary responsibility of the CDA should be updating and implementing the capitals master plan, setting standards and enforcing building control, regulating private housing societies and monitoring and enforcing zoning laws.A master plan commission has been formed by the [prime minister] and its recommendations should be implemented, the letter said.
It also said that development projects under the Public Sector Development Programme should be planned and executed by the relevant ministries and not the CDA.
Maintenance, repairs and operations of all federal offices and residential buildings in Islamabad is an agency function performed on behalf of the federal government should be reverted to it. The federal government provides a maintenance grant of Rs 2.1 billion annually to CDA, it stated, adding that the CDA should no longer operate any hospitals, laboratories or schools, as it has neither the capacity nor the expertise to do so