ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is looking towards the federal government for an additional grant to complete the first phase of the ongoing 10th Avenue project on which so far only 41pc work has been completed.

The project was supposed to be completed in March 2024, but has been facing an inordinate delay, mainly because ofshortage offunds.

Sources in the civic agency said a few days before Eid, during a meeting held at the interior ministry, CDA officials pleaded that due to shortage offunds the project was facing an inordinate delay.

The officials told the meeting that if an additional grant of Rs2 billion was released before the end of the current fiscal year, the civic agency will get the first phase of the project completed from Karnal Sher Khan Road to H-9.

The Rs10.2 billion project was launched in 2022 under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). It was supposed to be completed in March 2024, but its deadline has been extended twice due to insufficient progress.

Sources said for the ongoing fiscal year, the government had allocated only Rs400 million for the mega project. Out of the Rs400 million, Rs260 million have been released so far.

`If the remaining Rs140 million are released, then too we can`t make any special progress. We want an additional Rs2 billion grant for completing at least the first phase of the project in this fiscal year,` said a director of theCDA.

He said that in the upcoming budget, the government should allocate the remaining budget for completion of the project from Karnal Sher Khan Road to Srinagar Highway.

The project was started by the PTI government and initially over Rs1 billion had been set aside for it. But in the fiscal year 2022-23, only Rs350 million were allocated. The sources said that so far the project has received Rs3.6 billion.

Last year, the contractor had informed the CDA that the inadequate and piecemeal funding was one of the main reasons for the delay in work.

The contractor, NLC, through an official letter last year had also called for the implementation of the price adjustment formula approved by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Committee (Eenec) in 2023.

Last month, while speaking to Dawn,then CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani had stated that the project was awaiting funds from the PSDP.

The funds are crucial to maintaining momentum, he said, adding that additional Rs8 billion were required to complete it.

`We have taken up the matter with the planning commission for expediting the allocation of the requisite funds to ensure uninterrupted progress,` he said.

Under the project, a 5km road is being constructed from Katarian Bridge on Karnal Sher Khan Road to Srinagar Highway near the intersection of the G-9 and G-10. In future, a road will be constructed from the Srinagar Highway to Margalla Road.

10th Avenue was part of the city`s master plan which mandated the construction of an avenue after every sector, just like the 7th Avenue between G-6 and G-7, Faisal Avenue between G-7 and G-8, and 9th Avenue between G-8 and G-9.