The Capital Development Authority (CDA), by strengthening its Building Control Section (II), has formed some new SOP’s to bring the illegal housing societies in the legitimate circle and to curb the unauthorised building constructions in different sectors and rural areas of the capital.
The BCS has empowered the field inspectors to visit their beats (given area) in routing and give challans to those who are raising illegal and unauthorised structures on the spot instead of the old-formula to put it on the file and referred it to Assistant Director then Deputy Director and send notices after the approval, which takes many days, sometimes weeks, and under that time, constructors raise the skyrocketed structures higher.
It is noted that at present, dozens of 10 to 12-floor buildings have been constructed illegally without getting any NOC from the CDA, without any approval of building plan, in sector E-11, E-12, while the authority naps sluggishly. Recently, the BCS II also started publication of ads in different national Urdu and English dailies to warn the public to consult CDA before investing in illegal and unauthorised housing societies.
Upon which, many housing societies also pressured the concerned officials and CDA planning wing to stop this campaign on an immediate basis, but to no avail.
“When the housing societies advertised themselves through electronic, print media and displaying boards, people do investments in millions of rupees and after that they come to know that the society is illegal and does not have any NOC of CDA, no building plan was approved, so they invested in wrong place, due to which many people have suffered as they do not get any possession of the land, therefore they knock the door of justice, and there are hundreds of thousands of cases still pending in the courts,” said BCS II Director Muhammad Shafi Marwat.
He added that the CDA had decided to publish its advertisements every week to inform the public about the technicalities. “We found it (anti-illegal-housing-advertisement-campaign) very effective, people are now aware of illegalities, and authority becomes successful in restraining a major lot of public from investing in unauthorised housing societies,” he vowed.
There are only 58 legal housing societies, however, there are more than 100 illegal and unauthorised housing societies working within the territorial limits of federal capital.
Another official of the BCS informed that the challan books are printed and distributed between the concerned field inspectors and they are directed to give challan notices to the people/constructors who are raising illegal structures in rural and urban areas and order them to stop the illegitimate construction within 15 days; failure to do so would lead to physical reaction by the competent authority, in which, with the help of enforcement directorate, the unlawful structures would be bulldozed.
Under the section 49-C sub clause (I) of the CDA ordinance 1960, challans would be given in violation of the building and zoning regulations, and notices, for removal of a non-conforming use, will be sent. The campaign to restrict people from raising illegal and unauthorised structures would be starting from E-11.
“It is therefore directed to remove the (committed) violations within 15 days from the date of issuance of this notice, failing which CDA will constrainedly take action regarding the removal of the violations forcefully through Enforcement Directorate, CDA at your risk and cost,” reads the challan book.