ISLAMABAD   -   A move to outsource its huge building for an Information Technology Park by the Capital Development Authority has backfired as the private sector did not show interest in said offer.  The project was a brainchild of Member Technology Noman Khalid according to which a huge structure located at Sector G-10 was offered to private companies on rental bases to convert it into an IT park.

The city managers have flouted tender in the national dailies and also hold some events to attract private sector towards this project and it was claimed that the first ever IT park is going to be made in the capital city. 

However, besides passing the second and last deadline, only a single unknown company approached the city managers to get this building and private sector at large did not bother to even submit their proposals.

When contacted, a senior officer associated with the whole process informed that private sector remained reluctant due to some previous scandals in such ventures. He shared that in a recent event held at site to attract private companies for investment with the help of the Ministry of Information Technology, the high level officials of the telecom and IT industry were compelled to wait for two hours just because the Chairman CDA Muhammad Ali Randawa was busy somewhere else.

It is unclear yet that after CDA’s failure to get private sector on board, what would be the next strategy of city managers. A written question in this regard was sent to Public Relations Directorate but they did not respond. The building which is going to be given for Information Technology Park was originally constructed as a ladies club as it was the brainchild of then Chairman CDA Kamran Lashari.

However, later on the club could not be made functional due to one or another reason and a huge gray structure was lying vacant for more than the last 16 years. The construction of the ladies club in G-10 was started in 2007 and after three years, it was abandoned following the completion of grey structure and civil works.

Since then, not a single step has been taken to make the building functional for citizens. A successive management had announced to use the building as Islamabad’s Gymkhana but the incumbent management has dropped the idea and few months back decided to convert the building into IT Park and to pave a way forward, the land use for said plot was also changed from ladies club to IT Park by the CDA board. 

Senior officers of the authority purposed that the building should be used for its own purpose as there is no such dedicated facility for the ladies in the capital.