In June, CDA conducted 94 anti-encroachment operations

Mayor wants to enhance speed of drive, urges traders to cooperate with authorities

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has conducted 94 operations against encroachment and illegal construction in June, collecting just Rs42,200 in fines.

CDA managers had vowed to restore natural grace of the city and continue their anti-encroachment drive till all encroachment are eliminated from the city.

However, in a meeting chaired by Mayor Islamabad and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz at the CDA Headquarters, the Enforcement Directorate said that during June 2017 94 operations were conducted.



During these operations, as many as 1,563 items were confiscated and around Rs42,200 were collected from the fines imposed.

Moreover, illegal construction was also demolished in the operation. These included 10 illegal rooms, 11 boundary walls, four shops, seven kiosks and tea stalls, 29 building material or scrap depots, six barber stalls, 10 additional encroachments and 10 fruit and vegetable stalls.

Further, a fruit and vegetable vehicle was sealed for unauthorised use and illegal sale of different items.

The meeting was further told that in a joint operation with ICT Administration, Islamabad Police, and representatives of Traders Union and elected representative including chairman of the respective Union Councils in Sector E-11, a road closed because of encroachment was reopened.

During the operation, at least three people were detained and handed over to the Secretariat police for an illegal construction. Moreover, an illegal fish point was removed and 10 kanals of land was retrieved.

Moreover, a quarter vacated in Sector G-6, and 11 water borings were stopped, the illegal occupation of a public toilet in Sector G-7/1 was ended, 15 illegal water connections were disconnected, 10 kanals of state land retrieved, illegal construction work at seven places was halted and the shuttering of a plaza was removed.



Further, during this operation, chronic encroachment and violators including through pre-fabricated sheet partitions, sheds, iron grills, poles, chains, container cabins from the verandas of various plazas, parking areas, footpaths and pathways of plazas were removed.

While expressing satisfaction over the results of the anti-encroachment drive, Mayor Aziz told Enforcement director to accelerate the pace of the drive. He emphasised coordinated and collaborated efforts to completely eradicate encroachments from the city.

He also urged the business community, particularly traders’ unions to cooperate with the CDA and Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation in the anti-encroachment drive.

Meanwhile, Enforcement director said that they were conducting anti-encroachment operations across the city without any discrimination. He added that they had increased the momentum of the drive.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2017.