Director enforcement: Taj Warsi dies few months before his retirement

Warsi was brave enough to stand against mighty forces

ISLAMABAD: The civic body force behind encroachment operations breathed his last in the line of duty on Monday. He was none other than Muhammad Tajuddin Warsi, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) director enforcement Taj Warsi, who remained on frontlines against encroachers. Warsi died suddenly due to a cardiac arrest, only five months before he would have turned 60, and reached retirement age.

He was a well-known officer of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) who always led his team by example. He was 59, and was brave enough to stand against mighty forces in order to implement the writ of the agency and recently got his leg broken when encroachers attacked him with bricks, stone and iron rods during an operation against violations of a posh shopping mall.

Warsi was troubled by ununiformed members when he was inspecting a routine drill of the enforcement team on Monday and left the spot in a disturbed mood. Shortly afterwards, while performing his duties he got a cardiac attack and succumbed to death on the way to the CDA Hospital.

Warsi was born December 15, 1958 in Karachi and passed his matriculation from Govt  Boys Secondary School Jacob Lines, Karachi in 1973 and intermediate from DJ Science College Karachi in 1975.

Warsi earned his BSc degree from DJ Science College Karachi in 1978 and his Bachelors of Engineering (civil) from the NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi in 1984. He was appointed in CDA as assistant director civil in 1987, in pay scale 17.

Warsi was transferred as director enforcement in December 2015 and remained there till his death. During his tenure he supervised many anti-encroachment operations.

In 2017, CDA in its anti-encroachment drive on Jinnah Avenue, forcefully removed encroachment in front of the National Insurance Company Limited Building, barriers in front of United Bank Limited Building, barriers in front of Green Tower Building and illegal security cabin and barriers in front of Oil and Gas Development Company building. Moreover, he was also responsible for removing encroachments around Habib Bank Limited building and around Centaurs Mall.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2018.