Demands action against negligent CDA, police officials for failing to impose ban. PHOTO: FILE
The court directed the civic agency to take action against the officers responsible and submit a report within 24 hours.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Shaikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Qazi Faez Isa heard a suo motu case regarding construction on the Margalla Hills apart from cutting of trees on Thursday.
During Thursday’s hearing, Worldwide Fund for Conservation of Nature (WWF) Director General Hammad Naqi gave a presentation which highlighted the ban’s violations.
He told the court how the landscape of Margalla Hills National Park was changing and houses were being built in the park.
The court directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and the Islamabad Police to take action against responsible officers, including CDA’s directors general of Environment and Estate for their negligence and the station house officers (SHOs) of police stations adjoining the Margalla Hills National Park, and submit a report within in 24 hours.
The court also ordered the CDA and ICT to nominate officers who were responsible for this negligence and submit a report in 48 hours.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was also told to initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible.
The disgruntled judges also imposed a ban on sale and purchase of land in Zone-III.
With the CDA felling trees along the Embassy Road recently as part of an expansion project, the court sought a report on it and ordered the CDA to explain why precious trees had been chopped for the expansion along with details and cost of the project.
During the Thursday’s hearing, Justice Isa remarked that there were no footpaths for pedestrians in the capital with CDA seemingly only worried about wealthy car owners.
He further observed that the government had placed containers at different locations in the city making it look like a war zone.
Similarly, Justice Saeed called the CDA as the ‘capital destruction authority’ as he observed that construction activities and tree cutting have continued despite a ban imposed by the SC in 2016.
Noting that the CDA and the ICT administration should feel ashamed of their performance, Justice Saeed remarked that the CDA officials must come out of the misconception that no action could be initiated against them.
He further observed that CDA officials were ‘eating haram’ and that the apex court will not spare those who do not comply with the court’s orders.
“If the law and the court’s orders are not implemented in the federal capital then where would they be implemented?” asked Justice Isa, adding that despite clear orders, trees were cut. He added that he himself saw fallen trees strewn along Embassy Road.
“CDA officials are paid salaries for the deterioration of city environment,” asked the judges.
At this, the CDA’s counsel told the court that the authority was taking action against encroachment in Zone-III and Zone-IV.
“Take indiscriminate action against houses in restricted zones whether they belong to any judge or general,” Justice Saeed remarked.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2017.
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