Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR [AJK]: A UK and UAE-based Kashmiri expatriates-owned private entrepreneur and Mirpur Development Authority [MDA] here on Friday signed memorandum of understanding [MOU] for the construction of three crossing bridges for pedestrians at the busiest central Allama Iqbal Road – besides installation of traffic signals at the major streets of this ancestral city of over a million of United Kingdom-based Kashmiri expatriates.
M/s. A J Building Mart will borne all the expenditures to over Rs. 30 million for both of the projects from its own resources without relying on any financial requirement from the Mirpur Development Authority [MDA], which is already passing through financial crunch due to paucity of the required funds from its own resources.
Director General Mirpur Development Authority Ch. Ejaz Raza and Managing Director of AJ Builders Mart Ajmal Hussain signed the MoU for the construction of three Pedestrian Steel Bridges in front of MUST varsity campus, Divisional Headquarter Hospital and at Central Naangi shopping at the central main Allama Iqbal Road besides for the installation of traffic signals at Azad Megamart chowk, Quaid-e-Azam chowk and at various sites at Mian Muhammad Road, Allama Iqbal Road and other busy streets of the city.
AJK minister for MDA, MDHA, Sports, Youth and Culture Ch. Muhammad Saeed was the chief guest at the MoU signing ceremony which was attended among others by Commissioner Mirpur Division Muhammad Tayyeb Choudhry, Deputy Commissioner Sardar Adnan Khursheed, Director Estatement Management and Administration MDA Amjad Hussain Mughal, City Administrator Tahir Mirza, Deputy Director Estate Management MDA Mirza Zulfiqar Ahmed, Focal person of the gigantic Project and Director Planning and Horticulture Mirza Kaleem Jiraal and other senior officers of the MDA, besides officials of the sponsors M/s. AJ Builders Mart, senior journalists and the city elite.
Under the MoU, the AJ Builders mart would construct the traffic signals at six different sites in the major city streets besides construction of three crossing bridges for pedestrians at the central city Allama Iqbal Road. Traffic signals would be installed in stipulated time frame of one year. Whereas the bridges would be constructed in stipulated two-year period.
Speaking on this occasion AJK minister for sports and MDA Ch. Muhammad Saeed, DG MDA Ch. Ejaz Raza and Commissioner Mirpur Division Muhammad Tayyeb, Director Planning and Horticulture and incharge officer of the project from MDA Mirza Kaleem Jiraal said that this project of public interest would open a new vista of mutual cooperation for bringing identical projects in Mirpur city and rest of the district under the private-public partnership for the overall face lifting of this comparatively developed city of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
They said that on the special directives of the Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, the government was already acting upon an integrated plan for the uplift of Mirpur in view of its being the city of international repute.
They described the advent of the above project under private public partnership in the city a major breakthrough for the speedy progress of the city for providing latest amenities of life to the inmates of Mirpur and rest of the district. They underlined that earlier because of the paucity of funds with the government functionaries including MDA and the Municipal Corporation, such projects of public interests were lying shelved. They expressed the hope that with the advent of the era of private-public projects, Mirpur will emerge as the model city soon.
The projects of pedestrians bridges and the traffic signals will help in to regulate the increased vehicular traffic besides facilitating the pedestrians with the means for the safe movement in the city streets especially during the peak hours of public rush, they said.
Speakers further hoped that the project would leave positive impacts on the overall development of the city besides raising interest for launching investments by the overseas Kashmiris in similar mass public welfare projects in their ancestral district of Mirpur in the future.
Later unveiling the salient features of the project and the details of the MoU Director Planning and Horticulture MDA Mirza Kaleem Jiraal told this Correspondent that under the MoU, the “MDA” seized and possessed the specified land where six (6) traffic Signals and three (3) pedestrian crossing bridges, to be built and installed at the above sites.
The MDA has agreed to lease the aforesaid premises to the lessor for the purposes of management and exclusive marketing rights with effect from the date of signing this agreement on the following terms and conditions, he added.
