ISLAMABAD: After being censured by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the Capital Development Authority (CDA) formed a fivemember committee for preparing a master plan of the National Bus Terminal in I-11.

The project was first approved in 2012 by the CDA board but the civic agency, whose officials have been accused of conniving with operators of illegal bus stands, never made an attempt to start the project.

During a recent hearing of a case filed by the Transport Owners and Passenger`s Welfare regarding illegal bus stands on green belts, IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui said the CDA was deliberately not establishing a proper bus terminal since this may deprive CDA officials of monthly bribes.

`I have no doubt that with the establishment of the national bus terminal in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), many CDA employees may be deprived of their monthlies and illegal gratification,` Justice Siddiqui said, adding that CDA officials are the hurdle in the way of the construction of the terminal.

The civic agency finally notified a five-member committee on Oct 2 which will be headedby the director general design and which is tasked with completing the master plan for the terminal in a month.

The other members of the committee include director urban planning, director traffic engineering and transportation planning, director municipal administration and deputy director architecture.

The committee will also make recommendations for the smooth implementation of the project on 32-acres of land reserved for the bus terminal.

`We are serious about starting the project.

I was not aware that the CDA had allocated the 32-acre plot for the bus terminal when the court took up the case. I decided to start the project without further delay when my staff told me about the land,` said Islamabad mayor and CDA Chief Sheikh Anser Aziz told Dawn.

`Some CDA of ficials think I-11 is not feasible and that the construction of the terminal will bring huge traffic to the sector. I asked them to explore other options and the committee has meanwhile started work on design and the master plan,` he said.

According to the city`s master plan, I-8 was reserved for a bus terminal and a centre for other transportation. However, the civic agency and the federal government amended the plan made by Doxiadis Associates, a Greel( firm and converted the sector into a residential sector for federal government and CDA officials in 1990.

Since then there has been no proper policy for regulating the establishment of bus stations in the city and as a result, several inter-city bus terminals have been established along IJ Principal Road and near Faizabad as well as inKarachi Company. These bus terminals are causing traffic jams on adjoining roads.

A few days ago, the CDA carried out a selective operation, targeting those terminals which are operating on private land and reportedly did not take action against one of the bus terminals operating on CDA`s land and greenbelt in Faizabad.

Asked about the terminal, the mayor said: `I do not know who operates it but I came to know that the DMA had allowed someone to use the green belt as a parking but we have cancelled that permission` Asl(ed why the CDA had not been able to clear all green belts from encroachments if it was not being pressured, the mayor said a signiñcant portion of the green belts have been cleared and that one of the encroachers had obtained a stay order in his favour. He said the CDA will contest the stay order, adding that an operation will be launched in Faizabad for removing illegal bus terminals.

The mayor is yet take action against those DMA officials who had given permission to a hotel owner for using the green belt as a parking and where the bus terminal is operating.

President Islamabad Transport and Passengers Welfare Association Irfan Khan Niazi said they had been using the bus terminals since they had obtained a no-objection certificate in the 1990s.

`If the CDA is serious about the issue, which we doubt, we will welcome the construction of proper bus terminals. Legitimate bus terminal operators should be allotted land for the construction of proper terminals and we are ready to bear the costs. CDA has been mishandling the issue of the bus terminal for many decades,` he said.