Most private schools continue to operate in residential areas of Islamabad despite being allotted plots by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on discounted rates.
At least 46 private schools have been operating in residential areas violating set rules , despite having been served vacation notices by the civic agency.
A CDA official wishing not to be named confirmed that the plots allotted for private school has been given on discounted and low rates to construct buildings for their expanded branches, however, most of them have taken possession of the plots without carrying any construction work on them.
The officials said that the CDA has allocated plots to almost every private schools including Roots School System, Beacon House School System, Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science (AIMS), Head Start, Froebel’s, Lahore Grammar and Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS) to construct buildings for their expanded branches.
The official said that some of the private schools have not event paid the instalments causing loss of millions.
When contacted, Beacon House School System regional head Nasir Kasuri said that the CDA allotted them a plot some 20-year back to set up the school and they did so. He said that they have to open branches in residential areas after they were denied plots by the civic agency. He said that they were ready to shift their set-ups from residential areas if they were allotted plots at discount rates through auction.
Roots School System Chief Executive Faisal told Online that they have paid all instalments of the allotted plot and moved four branches from residential areas.
CDA Spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said that most private schools, which had been allotted plots on low rates, have failed to pay monthly instalments. He said that when they were asked to pay the instalments, they approached courts to get stay orders from courts. He said that the civic agency will ‘soon take legal action against violators’. He also claimed that private schools have been served notices to move their set-ups from residential areas.