Rs 80m go down the drain on Chinese fountains project

ISLAMABAD - Like several other costly projects - initiated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in the past - the fate of Rs80 million project of installation of Chinese manufactured cybernetic fountains at eight different locations of the federal capital still hangs in balance.

Lack of well-equipped technicians, absence of proper water and electricity connections and above all zero-response by the representatives of a blue-eyed firm that was given the contract are stated main hurdles in making fully functional these colourful fountains.

Inaugurated on April 12, 2011 by the then Chairman of the Authority Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, though approximately one year has lapsed but three out of eight installed fountains are still without water and electricity connections.

While the electricity panels of two of the fountains installed on Kashmir Chowk and Rawal Chowk were exhausted days after their installment owing to electricity fluctuation. While unknown persons have recently made away with costly lights of another fountain installed along 9th Avenue near PTCL exchange (F-8).

So the only functional fountain left is along 7th Avenue near Zoo Chowk. However, CDA Director Parks Khalid Malik thinks otherwise. While talking to TheNation, he claimed that 85 per cent of the problems CDA was facing in making these fountains functional are sorted out by the Authority.

“On-site mechanical and electrical work of the project has been completed, while work is in progress to sort out remaining issues. It will take another one month to make functional all the eight cybernetic fountains,” he said.

He said that manufacturing of fountains involves Chinese technology and the Authority does not have skilled technicians to operate the units. “Chinese engineers have been visiting the site for some time and our technicians are working with them so that to make themselves familiar with the technology,” he said. He said that CDA has recently floated the tenders regarding installation of power and water connections at three of the fountains.

While new lights would also be purchased to install them at one of the fountains where the same were taken away by thieves. When it comes to the responsibility of the contractor firm for the project, it dawned upon that the firm has managed to withdraw the security amount of approximately Rs10 million it had submitted with the Authority.