CAA buys land for new airport in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has purchased 3,179 acres of land for the new Islamabad International Airport near Fateh Jang, but construction work on the project is unlikely to begin soon due to financial constraints, said Federal Defence Minister Rao Sikindar Iqbal during a National Assembly session on Monday.

The minister said that the CAA had only taken possession of 25,000 acres out of the total land so far due to legal disputes between the estate holders and the CAA.

He said that project had been included in the annual development plan for the financial year of 2005-06, with an allocation of Rs 100 million, mainly for consultancy services, mobilisation costs and preliminary studies. He said that construction work on the airport was unlikely to start soon as the government had not enough funds to finance the project. “As soon as we get funds for the project, the prime minister or the president will inaugurate the project,” he said. staff report

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