Check on encroachments: Civic body all set to go high-tech

Signing of MoU is expected between SUPARCO and the CDA.

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) weighs in to go high-tech to keep an eye on land grabbers and encroachers across the city.

“The civic agency will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday with the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to conduct a land audit of Islamabad,” said CDA Member Administration Amer Ali Ahmad.

The national space agency through global information system and satellite imaging will conduct the land audit of the capital to digitize the record.

At present 6,819 acres (54,552 kanals) of the land is under the possession of land grabbers or has been encroached upon.

Of late, during hearing of a suo motu case on the encroached land in the Bani Gala area, the Islamabad High Court had directed the CDA to retrieve the land from the occupiers. However, the civic agency failed to reclaim the encroached land.



The official said that once the system is in place the CDA will be able to keep a check on land grabbers and illegal structures.

The whole project will be completed in four phases.

The first phase involves provision of data of satellite images to the CDA by the space agency.

“The satellite images of Islamabad of the last five years are available with the SUPARCO. Comparing that data with the latest one will help ascertain the encroachments made during this time period,” Ahmed said.

In the second phase, to check the activities of land occupiers, Islamabad will be divided into 34 parts and the SUPARCO will take the satellite images of each part separately and then monitor them after every 15 days to identify the encroachments by matching the previous and fresh images taken through the satellite.

In the third phase, the space agency will take satellite images of sectoral areas that would be acquired by the CDA in the future. At the time of announcing the land award, the images would help determine the exact number of built up properties at a specific area.

“These images will be annexed with details of the award to avoid complications prior to announcing the land acquisition and built-up property awards of residential areas,” Amer said.

In the fourth step, the whole land record will be digitalised and scientific maps of Islamabad indicating each and every structure including schools, hospitals, roads, dams, parks, shopping centers etc will be developed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2013.