ISLAMABAD: The construction of five new parking lots in the capital of Islamabad is yet to begin as tenders for the projects are yet to be called.
According to the details, basic work on the Blue Area car park has been ongoing since March 2022, but progress is slow and unlikely to be completed by the March 2023 deadline.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) announced last year that parking plazas would be built to address the city’s growing parking problem.
The National Logistics Cell won the contract for the project with a bid of PKR 1,274.5 million to construct a plaza with a capacity of 1,300 vehicles, as well as ground floor shops and open-air restaurants on the fifth floor.
The CDA cited its weak financial position and spending on other projects as the reason for the delay in starting the new parking plaza projects.
The CDA officials shared that due to the under development of projects like Margalla Road, I.J.P Road, Bhara Kahu bypass and expressway expansion project, the authority needs to be in a financially sound position to start a new one.
It is important to note that a few years ago, the CDA announced that six parking plazas would be constructed in the capital – three at Blue Area, one near Centaurus Mall, one at F-8 Markaz, two at F-10 Markaz and one plaza at each at Karachi Company and I-8 Markaz.
However, no significant progress has been made to date.