- Authorities stamp out resistance
In their bid to rid the capital of encroachments, the city managers have decided to go against the transporters in Faizabad – the busiest bus stand here on Thursday.
The Enforcement Wing of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Directorate of Municipal Administration of the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) in collaboration with the ICT Administration and the Islamabad Police conducted a mega operation at Faizabad.
This clean-up operation was carried out against transport stands operating illegally. In this activity, all operational staff of the Enforcement Directorate under the supervision of Deputy Director Muhammad Ramzan, MCI staff headed by Director Ali Sufian has taken part while none from the Environment Wing participated during the operation.
ICT Magistrate Ali Javed along with the reserve police provided magisterial cover and also supervised the activity. Two excavator machines were also borrowed from MPO for demolition purpose. During the operation, massive sheds erected by the six transport stands for parking their vehicles were dismantled with the help of the machinery.
These transport stands which are operated includes the Islamabad Express, Shuja Express, three bus stations of Raja Travels. The vehicles found parked beneath the sheds were evacuated prior to demolition. Some people also tried to desist the operation but the situation largely remained peaceful.
The city managers have taken up the much-needed operation after a plethora of litigation that was previously sub-judice before the Islamabad High Court was vacated. In a long overdue anti-encroachment operation was conducted at the Kashmir Highway near Sector G-12 to get the right of way (RoW) back from the illegal occupation of marquees and commercial owners.
A multi-million rupees project launched back in March 2017 to monitor the encroachments via satellite has been shelved. Last year, on the directions of the prime minister, CDA hell-bent to curb encroachments was to ink an agreement with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) – the national space agency – to identify encroachments through the satellite system.
It was decided that SUPARCO will update CDA’s Planning Wing every month by providing them updated and detailed images of every sector in the capital. The space agency was also to establish its setup in the CDA headquarters to provide the images twice a week. The whole agreement aimed at facilitating the civic agency who instead of sending their field officers to assigned areas can monitor the encroachments from their offices and take prompt action.
When contacted, DMA Director Ali Sufyan said that since Faizabad was a residential area and the bus stations have expanded beyond their designated place, the authority along with ICTA and the police had to take action. “We were waiting for the stay orders to vacate. Once they were vacated, we went after them. We will rid the city of encroachments,” he said.
