Islamabad to have a new look, promises Mayor Anser Aziz

ISLAMABAD: (DNA): Sheikh Anser Aziz, the first elected Mayor of Islamabad has said Islamabad shall be given a new look adding he has zero tolerance for corruption in the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation.
He said Islamabad is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities of Pakistan but there is a lot more to be done to bring it at par with the developed and beautiful capitals of the world. Sheikh Anser Aziz expressed these views while giving an exclusive interview to DNA. He further said, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has given out his vision to modernize Islamabad and we are in fact following this very vision as our guiding principle for our plans and actions.
“Let me also assure the residents of Islamabad that no stone shall be left unturned in making this city a must-visit place. As regards your question about some immediate measures, you may know that the IJP Road was in a shambles for a long time and there was a long standing demand of the residents for its repair. Soon after taking over we have immediately approved the repair work of this very important road that links Islamabad to Rawalpindi and to the Motorway also”. To a question he said, as many as 23 departments previously run by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have been handed over to Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad fully while 22 directorates have been partially transferred to us.
The employees shall eventually be transferred to us, though a case for transfer of employees is pending adjudication at the Islamabad High Court.
Reason for the reluctance of the employees to join us is probably they are fully conscious of the fact that they will now have to actually work here to justify their employment! Nonetheless, we will wait for the court decision.
We have streamlined the processes of internal administrative working of IMC which will ensure that each and every employee attends his office regularly and devotes the required time to the demands of his job. We have in place proper systems that will keep a check on the employees and prevent them from hoodwinking the management and the systems, he added.
The Mayor told, there were some departments that the CDA wanted to retain including F 9 Park, Lake View Park, Zoo and Building Control Authority.
The prime minister has intervened in the matter and has ordered that these departments must come under the control of the IMC.
As regards the building control specifically, the prime minister, has overruled CDA’s reservations, and ordered to establish an authority within IMC that would monitor building related matters, he added..
To a question about parking issues in the capital, the mayor said, parking spaces around commercial areas no doubt is now a major issue in Islamabad. Most of the parking lots are illegally occupied by people owing to which genuine residents or shoppers do not find a parking space.
“I have instructed that a detailed survey of all areas should be undertaken and we should come up with workable plans to address the issue. It is indeed a pity that people who buy or rent a single room office establish a car showroom that occupies the entire surrounding areas and the parking lots for the business.