In Farooqia Market: Traders protest ‘illegal construction’ of plaza

ISLAMABAD: Traders of Farooqia Market F-6/1 have strongly protested against “illegal construction” of a plaza in the said market.

They claim it is being constructed in violation of the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s building bylaws.

They said the design of the plaza could not be changed in any Class-III Shopping Centre. They said that the said plaza was being constructed by changing its design and giving it entry towards the main road allegedly in connivance with the CDA’s Building Control Section staff.

They said the map of the plaza showed verandas, but actually the plaza was being constructed without any veranda.

The building of the plaza was built eight feet above the ground, which was totally illegal.

Anjuman-e-Tajaran Pakistan President Ajmal Baloch said that corruption within the CDA had badly affected the civic agency’s performance due to which many illegal constructions were cropping up in the federal capital.

He said that the Building Control Section Director, Shafi Marwat, was an honest officer however the rest of his staff was “directly involved in corrupt practices”.

Baloch appealed to the CDA Member Planning, Waseem Khan, to investigate the illegal construction of the said plaza through the FIA, and order stopping of construction work.

He said that if no action was taken in that matter, traders would launch a protest movement against the “illegal construction”.

When contacted a CDA spokesperson said that the issue had recently been brought to the notice of the Planning and Design Wing.

He said that the CDA member planning had asked a team of Building Control Section (BCS) to verify the ground situation.

The spokesperson said that needed action would be taken in light of the report of the BCS.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2016.