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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of PakistanA peep into Islamabads future
By Imran Naeem Ahmad
ISLAMABAD: Plenty of interchanges and underpasses, fast flowing traffic, a metro train steaming around town perhaps, impressive five-star hotels, towering buildings, international food outlets, and maybe foreign tourists what would Islamabad be a decade from now?
With development taking place at breakneck speed be it the making of roads and new sectors, or apartment buildings and a string of other facilities, the once sleepy town looks set to step into the future with a flourish.
Already the face of the city has seen a major transformation with the network of roads having expanded as never before, tourists spots marvellously developed and a host of new services provided to the people.
Some years ago, eating out at an international food chain seemed out of question for there werent any, tourist attractions werent enough and there was hardly an exciting thing to do the town was plain boring. No wonder a diplomat declared it a place as large as a Washington cemetery but twice as dead.
Indeed, if Islamabad was dead, it has sprung to life remarkably much to the surprise of its critics, as today theres evidence of vitality everywhere. Gone are the days when the town used to go quiet past 9.00 pm, gone too are the times when finding food late at night was a difficult proposition. Today there is the food park that operates well beyond midnight and scores of restaurants that now stay open till late.
But it is not all about food and excitement, for thanks to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) its fleet of siren-wailing ambulances are now a common sight on the city streets, something that had appeared a far cry.
The fire brigade has been equipped with new vehicles and gear with its squad showing great efficiency in fighting two recent blazes in stark contrast to the fire that broke out inside Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat building but could not be quickly controlled owing to lack of modern equipment.
That was 2002, this is 2007 and things have changed considerably since and are continuing to change. I see Islamabad becoming a metropolis with shopping malls and showrooms, designer stuff and flashy new cars and what not but only if security doesnt remain a concern, says Omer Rafique, a doctor by profession.
Others feel that although Islamabad has lost its tranquillity, it could go on to become a town having all the ingredients of an international city. Getting there would of course take time yet if the will is there, it can really be developed along those lines, says businessman Tariq Farman.
In this fiscal year alone, the CDA has a budget with a financial outlay of Rs 24.95 billion, 79 percent of which it intends to spend on development projects.
The CDA clearly has grand plans chalked out for the future and with its chairmans dynamism spilling over, the town is bound to see major transformations in the years ahead. Its coffers overflowing with cash theres no project that the authority cannot execute, theres no building it cant build. Money makes the mare go.
In the midst of all this chaos, hope and progress for the future.
