CDA declares four major housing societies in Islamabad illegal

• Ghauri Town, Rehman Residentia, Akbar Enclave and JS Block face the axe as civic agency says they were advertised, marketed without approval

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has declared four housing societies located in Zone-IV as illegal and has issued a public notice where the civic agency’s planning wing has announced that these schemes were advertised and marked without any approval of CDA.

The notice declares that as per CDA Ordinance, 1960, ICT (Zoning) Regulation, 1992 and modalities and procedures framed under ICT (Zoning) regulations, Ghauri Town, Rehman Residentia, Akbar Enclave and JS Block launched in Zone-IV of the Islamabad Capital Territory by Messrs Green Spires (Pvt) Ltd on Islamabad Highway and Lehtrar Road are illegal.

Furthermore, the buildings, plazas and the commercial structures constructed in the above-mentioned societies have been built without obtaining approval of building plans from CDA. “The state of affairs is alarming and a potential threat to life and property of the residents due to non-adherence of Islamabad Building Regulations, 2005,” it said.

CDA has warned the general public to refrain from buying, selling, purchasing and renting plots and land in all of the societies that have been declared illegal.

Furthermore, IESCO, SNGPL and PTCL were ordered to stop providing electricity, gas and phone services to illegally constructed residential and commercial buildings without the approval of CDA. The sponsors and management of the unauthorised societies, Raja Ali Akbar and Company and Raja Jahangir Akbar and Raja Salman have categorically cautioned against advertising, booking, allotment, transfer, and marketing of plots and land in their illegal schemes.

In case of non-compliance, CDA plans to take a strict and punitive action against the sponsors of the illegal schemes under the CDA Ordinance, 1960 and ICT (Zoning) Regulations, 1992.

Sources at the CDA confided that the city managers have decided to take strict action against irregular and illegal constructions in other parts of the city as well.

The axe is going to fall next on marquees and apartment complexes situated in the posh E-11 sector where different housing societies have so far dodged bylaws applicable to other CDA-managed sectors.

It is pertinent to mention that many of the businesses had moved to Sector E-11, which is now home to many private housing societies like National Police Foundation, Multi Professional Cooperative Housing Society, Federal Employees Cooperative Housing Society and services societies.

Furthermore, around a dozen marquees also appeared on the borders of the sector that is all set to take due and undue advantage of not being under the watch of CDA’s by-laws, as the laws that regulate the building control in sectors of CDA don’t apply as strictly in Sector E-11.