Regularising property: Cabinet to approve federal commission

Scope of commission expanded to cover the entire ICT district

ISLAMABAD: With the regularisation of houses in zone IV of the federal capital — which includes the prime minister’s personal house — running into snags after applications were found to be missing documents, the government has decided that the federal cabinet will approve a commission which will offer recommendations on regularisation of property.

Moreover, it has been decided that the scope of this regularisation commission will be enhanced to cover the entire district.

Credible sources say that Prime Minister Imran Khan — whose 250 Kanal property in Bani Gala had fallen afoul of the Capital Development Authority’s rules and was directed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan to regularise by paying the penalty — has directed the Interior Ministry to once again alter the mandate of the federal commission.

The commission, which was supposed to regularise properties in Zone-IV of the federal capital, will now regularise all irregular buildings in all the zones of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Moreover, Imran, who also holds the portfolio of federal interior minister, has directed that the commission will also review the master plan of Islamabad for a 20-year period from 2020-2040.

The review will focus on what will be the future needs of the federal capital and will propose comprehensive recommendations for what the federal government should do in the short, medium and long-term.

The commission’s rules and regulations further dictate that the plans will take into account the role of the private sector in the health and education sectors in the city.

The rules and regulations of the commission further state that it is imperative to stop further illegal and irregular construction in the federal capital. For this purpose, surveillance teams will be formed which will include all three stakeholders including the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the ICT District administration, and the local government Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC).

It was noted that while these three organisations were temporarily working together against encroachment, but the commission should provide comprehensive suggestions on how they can work together to stop illegal and irregular constructions in the future.

The commission has been directed to complete its work and present a set of recommendations to the federal government within six months.

Earlier, the interior ministry had instructed CDA officials to form a commission to regularise buildings in Zone-IV of the capital. When its recommendations were sent to the federal government, the latter decided to form a commission with a federal minister as its head. Imran was supposed to pick out the federal minister.

But now it has been decided that the commission will have to be approved by the federal cabinet first.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2018.