CDA sets to tighten noose around housing societies

0
409
  • Civic agency warns people about societies misleading buyers by claiming to be located in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Directorate of the Housing Societies of the Capital Administrations Authority following the footsteps of the Planning Directorate has warned the masses at large to be cautious against multiple private housing societies that claim their land lies in the capital territory.

A number of housing schemes including the Army Welfare Trust, the Capital Smart City, Eighteen, Engineers Cooperative Housing Scheme, Faisal Town, Green Town, Gulshan-e-Sehat, Khudadad City, Multi Garden, Veterans Housing Scheme, WAPDA Town among others do not fall in Islamabad as per the zoning map and are located beyond the capital territory limits.

According to the CDA Ordinance 1960, the master plan of Islamabad, the Capital of the Republic (Determination of Area) Ordinance 1963, and the ICT Zoning Regulations 1992, the limits of Islamabad terminates after 17th series of sectors. Meaning thereby that there is no sector in the south west of sectors A-17, B-17, C-17, D-17, E-17, F-17, G-17, H-17 and I-17.

Of late, many unscrupulous sponsors, investors, builders, developers, and advertisers of the housing schemes, apartments, commercial projects, around zone-1 and zone-2 are using the name of the sectors and Islamabad for advertisement/marketing of their schemes/projects which actually does not fall/locate within the capital territory limits. They fall within tehsils of Rawalpindi, Fateh Jang and Taxila of Punjab.

This malpractice of the sponsors to just enhance the value of their land/plot for deceiving the general public by using sectors and name of Islamabad have been continuing since long. The authorities at CDA have warned that those who buy land, apartment or estate should first get the credentials confirmed from the civic agency.

In order to secure rights of unwitting public, CDA has also issued a final warning asking the builders to put an end to false advertising or else be prepared for action by the Directorate General of the Awareness & Prevention Division of the National Accountability Bureau, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Rawalpindi Development Authority and other government departments.

In March, the Capital Development Authority has declared four housing societies located in the Zone-IV illegal and also issued a public notice where the civic agency’s planning wing had announced that these schemes were advertised and marked without any approval of the civic agency.

The notice declared that as per the CDA Ordinance-1960, ICT (Zoning) Regulation 1992 and Modalities and Procedures framed under ICT (Zoning) Regulations Ghori Town, Rehman Residentia, Akbar Enclave and JS Block launched in Zone-IV of the capital territory by the Green Spires (Pvt) Ltd on the Islamabad Highway and the Lehtrar Road as illegal.

However, no further action was pursued against these societies and the builders and investors keep on constructing apartments, malls, and residential buildings.