Lack of oversight: Citizens lose as city managers snooze

Absence of timely action lets housing societies convert amenity areas into commercial, residential

ISLAMABAD: Most housing schemes in Islamabad have been changing their approved layout plans (LOP) without approval from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), with public amenity areas or community use land usually rezoned for commercial or residential use.

Currently around 51 cooperative societies operate in Islamabad, 47 of which are housing societies. Of these housing societies, 23 are dormant, while 24 are functional with irregularities in terms of land allocation for amenity services.

The sponsors of housing schemes in Islamabad are required to reserve land for community purposes including parks, graveyards and schools in their layouts.

Changes to amenity plots affect the sizes of plots and waterways. Similarly, the width of streets and roads in such schemes is usually reduced to increase plot sizes.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is primarily responsible for reviewing any violations of layout plans.

But housing schemes continue to violate various rules as the CDA keep its eyes closed. The main sufferers are common people who invest their life savings in these societies and finally they are denied any civic facilities.

“CDA should take action against such society developers during the construction period instead of declaring them illegal after their development,” Saghir Ahmed a resident of Ghauri Town told The Express Tribune.

The percentage of the land required to be reserved for different land uses such as public buildings, school, mosque, hospitals, community centres, post offices is not-less-than four per cent of a scheme area. According to CDA regulations for housing schemes, it is mandatory to allocate eight per cent for parks, open areas and green spaces in E-11.

In Zone-II and Zone-V, it is 15 per cent. According to CDA regulations, it is obligatory to allocate two per cent for graveyards and 26 per cent for roads and streets.

Most housing schemes violate these rules and allocate as little as 0.07 per cent for mosques instead of the required 0.74 per cent, around 1.83 per cent for schools and colleges against the required two per cent, and around 0.05 per cent for health, libraries, community centres, rest  houses and other community use facilities against the mandatory 0.5 per cent.

Housing schemes on average have allocated only 0.2 per cent for sewerage treatment plants (STP) instead of the required 0.4 per cent.  Similarly, housing schemes are required to mark 7.88 per cent of land area for parks, green belts, and open spaces, but they only spared 2.3 percent for this. Some societies have not even bothered to make any parks or green belts, resulting in concrete jungles with narrow streets.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2016.