ISLAMABAD-At the time when Chief Commissioner Islamabad and Chairman CDA Captian (Retired) Muhammad Usman on Sunday directed to complete stalled project of the Ladies Club, he seems unaware about continuous delays in the operationalisation of first ever women dedicated bazaar of the country.   
Though, it was a quite positive sign that the city chief himself visited the site of the Ladies Club—a project which is stalled since 2008, however, at the same time it was the need of time for concerned to pay attention over recently completed building of women dedicated bazaar as its formal inauguration has yet to be made by the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. 
The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon, who is also the administrator of MCI was contacted for his comments regarding continued delays in the completion of said project but he was unavailable to respond.  It is pertinent to mention here that besides spending over Rs.30 million from the public exchequer, MCI could not start the first ever women dedicated bazaar in the capital. Earlier, it was excused that a number of important projects other than women dedicated bazaar are lying pending due to the absence of an administrator of the MCI after transfer of its last incumbent Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, who was appointed as administrator by the federal government after end of local government in Islamabad. However, now Irfan Nawaz Memon is holding the charge of the Administrator MCI from the last couple of months but he also failed to operationalise the said bazaar. 
The women dedicated bazaar project was initiated on the request of Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) in September 2021. Former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had promised to establish a special market for women where they may run their businesses and to have their own stalls. He had directed the authorities concerned to complete the project within one month’s time frame. 
The announcement was made by the interior minister while addressing the 12th annual general meeting (AGM) of Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The task was assigned to the Directorate of the Sports and Culture, MCI that had completed the development of Bazaar in February 2022 and organized a ceremony for the balloting of stalls but same was cancelled due to a bomb blast in Peshawar. MCI had spent over Rs.30 million on this project and the bazaar is ready for the operation but it is facing delays due to the carelessness of MCI, which is not only ruining this asset but also depriving women of the city from an important facility. The said bazaar is established over an area measuring 8177 square feet in the right of way of 11th Avenue between sectors G-10 and G-11 that is near to the existing Sunday bazaar. 
The said bazaar would be first of its kind in Pakistan where all the affairs would be run by the women. The stalls would be allocated to women, who could run their businesses easily.
Meanwhile, Chairman CDA directed the concerned formation to prepare a new PC-I for the operationalization of Ladies Club while considering it very important for the females and children of the city. 
He said the plan should be presented in the next meeting of the CDA board for approval so work could be initiated on the project as early as possible. When contacted by The Nation, Captian (Retired) Muhammad Usman assured that the women dedicated bazaar would also be made operational as the providing ease and healthy activities to the women and children in the city is the prime objective of CDA.