ISLAMABAD: Alipur Farash – a Modern Shelter Urban Programme – has become yet another victim of the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) ill-planning and despite the passage of 15 years, is yet to be developed. The project was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In early 2000s, in order to provide inhabitants of slums a better life and to plan the capital in a better way, CDA made the decision to develop Alipur Farash. The residents of four Katchi Abadis including Essa Nagri I-9/1, Dhoke Najju I-10/4, Haq Bahu I-11/4, and Muslim Colony were allotted 7-marla plots in Alipur Farash in 2002 under ‘Modern Shelter Urban Programme’.
Unfortunately, most of the inhabitants who were allotted plots to build their homes have either sold their land or rented them and are still living in slums elsewhere.
However, according to the CDA’s planning wing, these plots were nontransferable.
Sources privy to Pakistan Today, said that the plots were sold under the garb of only transferring the “possession”.
Later on, in addition, 600 plots were allotted to the widows of CDA employees in 2010.
Essa Nagri, housing Muslims and Christians, was located on the then proposed site of a sewage treatment plant in Sector I-9.
Haq Bahu and Dhoke Najju have also made illegal expansion to the I.J. Principal Road. Whereas, Muslim Colony, which houses 1,500 families, was dubbed a security risk owing to its proximity to the Prime Minister’s House and its annexation of the green belt, and due to its strategic location adjacent to Diplomatic Enclave.
According to the ‘Modern Shelter Urban Programme,’ out of the total 41 Katchi Abadis of the capital, only 11 have been recognised by the CDA and were supposed to be either upgraded or regularised. The rest were to be removed without providing alternative place for the inhabitants. However, except the I-11 Katchi Abadi, CDA didn’t bother to launch an operation against any illegal slum.
The authority had to develop Alipur Farash on the directives of the federal government to relocate the flood-affected residents of the I-11 Katchi Abadi.
There were about 4,000 plots in Alipur Farash. However, a CDA official confided to Pakistan Today that the plan could not be implemented in proper means due to low funding allocated for the project.
At present, the residents of Alipur Farash are still awaiting basic facilities.
The residents are facing lack of basic amenities of life. Water is a rare commodity whereas sewerage system is not developed which results in the outbreak of various diseases.
