ISLAMABAD: Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Muhammad Ali Randhawa chaired a meeting to review initiatives to transform Islamabad into a digitally empowered city. The Member Technology briefed about a series of initiatives designed to digitize and modernize the city’s infrastructure and enhance services for its residents through advanced digital solutions.
The meeting was briefed about the major initiatives that include:
a) the launch of smart parking system in Islamabad, which has been implemented
b) Digital signage and advertisement boards to eliminate paper-based advertising that was contributing to waste and pollution
c) Launch of My Islamabad Super app, offering over 150 services related to CDA, MCI, ICT, and Police that will enable ease of doing business for the citizens of Islamabad
d) Launch an online building plan system that will allow citizens to submit and obtain approval of their building plans from the comfort of their homes. The Chairman also underscored the need to incorporate services from NADRA and other entities. Chairman CDA directed to take third-party cybersecurity measures to safeguard user data.
The meeting briefed us that one of the major initiatives was the successful launch of a smart parking system at key locations, including G-8 and Centaurus Mall. Chairman Randhawa directed replicating the digital parking system in other key commercial areas and Markaz to improve traffic management and address parking challenges.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of the IT Park project. CDA has repurposed an existing gray structure and covered it into an IT Park offering shared working spaces, R&D centers, a data center, and other facilities that will create over 4-5 thousand new jobs.
The Chairman instructed the immediate appointment of a transactional advisor to fast-track the project. This initiative aims to establish Islamabad as a hub for technological innovation. The meeting further briefed us that the city’s first-ever digital streamers and operating system are set to be handed over to the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for management.
The meeting also discussed the progress of developing a Tier 4 data center. Chairman CDA Muhammad Ali Randhawa directed that the consulting process be expedited to resolve the issue and ensure the timely establishment of this critical data infrastructure. The meeting also discussed the implementation of the e-office system. The Chairman stressed the importance of digitizing internal workflows to enhance efficiency.
The meeting also discussed the development of Silicon Valley. Chairman CDA was apprised that in collaboration with Quaid-i-Azam University (QUA), the CDA is working on land boundaries for this project and alternate locations. This initiative is expected to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the city.
Progress in digitizing land and property records was also reviewed during the meeting. It was informed that 35,000 files had already been digitized. The meeting was informed that staff training to streamline property-related services has been completed.
