ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA), on the orders of Islamabad High Court (IHC), is all set to take action against unauthorised construction in approved housing societies and illegal marquees.
The orders come to uphold writ of the state after landmark operations against big fishes, which encroached state land in the past and were up to unauthorised and illegal construction.
CDA’s sincere effort to remove encroachments and action against unauthorised construction started on the directions of the Supreme Court. An official of CDA said, “These actions created fear among those who considered themselves as untouchables.”
The mushrooming trend of housing societies started in the capital after the civic authority failed to launch any new sector – for the middle-class people – since two decades. This left people with low incomes no option but to invest in low-profile-private-housing-societies or high-rise building apartments, which initially assured the people that their projects were legal and had obtained the CDA’s NOC.
However, only poor people who invested and purchased shops and apartments suffered as the investors and businessmen who raised these illegal structures had already sold each and every part of their buildings to the folks.
CDA also finalised its new plan to take action against illegal marquees of E-11. A public notice message has been finalised to be published in national newspapers in coming days in which the CDA would warn the general public not to book any marquee in the E-11.
The operation against these illegal marquees would start after one month of publishing this advertisement notice. “Therefore, if anyone registers his/her marriage or any event, the authority would not be responsible for any inconvenience,” said an official of the CDA.
It is pertinent to mention that most of the marquees have been illegally constructed without the prior approval of the authority.
“There are a total of 106 illegal housing societies in the capital and 56 are legal. The IHC last month directed the building control section to do an inspection of all the societies and compile a detailed report. The report should explain if a private housing scheme established in the capital holds CDA’s NOC or not,” said BCS II Director Muhammad Shafi Marwat.
“BCS II has done an inspection of almost all the societies and found discrepancies between the approved construction plans and the actual construction,” he added.
106 housing schemes are completely illegal. However, it was revealed in the inspection that all the approved societies have also violated the CDA bylaws.
“Some have deleted schools, mosques, graveyard and playgrounds and some have changed them into commercial property and sold it out,” he said adding that most of the approved societies also occupied extra kanals of land illegally and accumulated it with the approved ones.
It is important to mention that the CDA has started a grand anti-encroachment operation in which they’ve successfully bulldozed the encroachment done by the Centaurus Mall and Marriot Hotel, and also sealed many high rise buildings in E-11.
On Thursday alone, CDA sealed 26 premises included Meridian Heights, Tuba Heights [1,2], Mustafa Tower, Prime Heights, Awan Arcade, Qurtaba Heights, Apollo Heights, Capital Residency, and Islamabad Heights in E-11.
Earlier, Makah Tower, Madina Tower, Umair Residencia, Shaheen Apartments and Khudadad Heights – of former PML (N) MNA Anjum Aqeel – were sealed.
When contacted, CDA spokesman Mazhar Hussain said that the operation against violators and encroachers had started on the directions of Mayor cum CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz and the courts. The authority would carry this operation on against all those, who constructed illegal structures and occupied state land illegally, without any fear and favour.
Its good but its should be impartial and consistent in future as well.
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