Illegal bus stands on green belts soon to be history
IHC issues notices to CDA, ICT administration to shut down the encroachment
CDA workers remove hoardings at a bus terminal in Faizabad. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
In a win for the environment of the capital, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the CDA and the Islamabad administration to remove all illegal bus stands and other encroachment from the green belts of the federal capital.
IHC’s Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui passed these directions on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by Transport Owners and Passengers’ Welfare Association against illegal bus stands and other encroachment operating on green belts at Faizabad with permission from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Regularisation of illegal bus stands demanded
Justice Siddiqui remarked that action must be launched against big and influential encroachers without any discrimination or caring about political pressure instead of small stallholders and pushcarts to restore the master plan of the capital.
At the last hearing of the case held last week, the court had expressed its annoyance over the reply submitted by CDA Municipal Administration Director (DMA) regarding bus stands operating on green belts and had issued showcase notice to him for his irresponsible response.
The court had also summoned Islamabad Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz, CDA Member Administration, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), and the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner to appear before the court in person.
On Tuesday, when court resumed its hearing in the case, Justice Siddiqui asked the CDA chairman why encroachment could not be removed in Islamabad.
At this, Aziz said that during his tenure, the CDA had not issued permission to anyone to establish a bus stand on the green belt.
The mayor maintained that he had posted an honest and competent director in the enforcement wing to overcome the problem of encroachment in the city.
At this Justice Siddiqui told the CDA Enforcement Wing Director Taj Ahmed Warsi that a lot of hopes were pinned on him.
Warsi told the court that the district administration and the police were not cooperating with CDA’s enforcement staff during operations against encroachment.
Justice Siddiqui subsequently directed the Islamabad deputy commissioner to depute one of the Assistant Commissioner (ACs) to work with CDA’s enforcement team during anti-encroachment operations, apart from providing them with a police escort.
He also directed CDA to submit by October 4, a list of stay orders and pending cases against CDA issued by different courts over encroachment removal.
Crackdown begins against illegal car parks, bus stands
The illegal bus stands at Faizabad include the Islamabad Express, Raja Travel, Blue Line Express, Faisal Movers, Frontier Punjab Travels, Makkah Travels, New Bilal Travels, Darbar Travels and Shaheen Travels.
These bus stands operate illegally with no licence from the DMA for using open spaces.
However, the New City Express, operating in Jhangi Syeddan near Motorway Chowk, has a licence for using open space as a car park over an area of 1,040 square yards.
CDA had launched a crackdown against the illegal bus terminals and encroachment in Faizabad and its surrounding areas. But the operations failed owing to lack of proper planning and the absence of any prompt checking system which would stop the reemergence of these illegal bus stands.
“Neither do they [illegal bus stands] have ownership of the land nor have they taken any permission from the competent authority to run their business [on green belts],” an official of CDA’s planning wing told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2017.
In a win for the environment of the capital, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the CDA and the Islamabad administration to remove all illegal bus stands and other encroachment from the green belts of the federal capital.
IHC’s Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui passed these directions on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by Transport Owners and Passengers’ Welfare Association against illegal bus stands and other encroachment operating on green belts at Faizabad with permission from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Regularisation of illegal bus stands demanded
Justice Siddiqui remarked that action must be launched against big and influential encroachers without any discrimination or caring about political pressure instead of small stallholders and pushcarts to restore the master plan of the capital.
At the last hearing of the case held last week, the court had expressed its annoyance over the reply submitted by CDA Municipal Administration Director (DMA) regarding bus stands operating on green belts and had issued showcase notice to him for his irresponsible response.
The court had also summoned Islamabad Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz, CDA Member Administration, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), and the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner to appear before the court in person.
On Tuesday, when court resumed its hearing in the case, Justice Siddiqui asked the CDA chairman why encroachment could not be removed in Islamabad.
At this, Aziz said that during his tenure, the CDA had not issued permission to anyone to establish a bus stand on the green belt.
The mayor maintained that he had posted an honest and competent director in the enforcement wing to overcome the problem of encroachment in the city.
At this Justice Siddiqui told the CDA Enforcement Wing Director Taj Ahmed Warsi that a lot of hopes were pinned on him.
Warsi told the court that the district administration and the police were not cooperating with CDA’s enforcement staff during operations against encroachment.
Justice Siddiqui subsequently directed the Islamabad deputy commissioner to depute one of the Assistant Commissioner (ACs) to work with CDA’s enforcement team during anti-encroachment operations, apart from providing them with a police escort.
He also directed CDA to submit by October 4, a list of stay orders and pending cases against CDA issued by different courts over encroachment removal.
Crackdown begins against illegal car parks, bus stands
The illegal bus stands at Faizabad include the Islamabad Express, Raja Travel, Blue Line Express, Faisal Movers, Frontier Punjab Travels, Makkah Travels, New Bilal Travels, Darbar Travels and Shaheen Travels.
These bus stands operate illegally with no licence from the DMA for using open spaces.
However, the New City Express, operating in Jhangi Syeddan near Motorway Chowk, has a licence for using open space as a car park over an area of 1,040 square yards.
CDA had launched a crackdown against the illegal bus terminals and encroachment in Faizabad and its surrounding areas. But the operations failed owing to lack of proper planning and the absence of any prompt checking system which would stop the reemergence of these illegal bus stands.
“Neither do they [illegal bus stands] have ownership of the land nor have they taken any permission from the competent authority to run their business [on green belts],” an official of CDA’s planning wing told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2017.