SC trashes CDA report on encroachment as ‘fairy tales’

Summons chiefs of civic authority and NHA in shopping mall case

ISLAMABAD: The apex court reprimanded the member Capital Development Authority (CDA) on submission of a poorly-developed report in a shopping mall encroachment case and summoned the chairmen of the National Highway Authority (NHA), Capital Development Authority (CDA), and Attorney General on next date of hearing.

The judges of the Supreme Court (SC) declared the report on Centaurus Mall encroachment analogous to a book of fairy tales and advised an authority member to leave his job if he was unable to do it.

The court remarked that the CDA had destroyed the natural beauty of the federal capital with heaps of garbage everywhere and added that the dusty roads in the city were filled with potholes.

The court contended that all the trees in Islamabad have been cut while several roads were devoid of the pedestrian bridges.

A two-member SC bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Maqbool Baqar heard the case regarding encroachment by the Pak-Gulf Construction and Centaurus Mall on state land.

At the outset of the hearing, Justice Ahmed expressed displeasure on the CDA member Dr Shahid Mehmood and remarked that by looking at the report produced by the CDA, it seemed that the court orders were not even read.

“The authority has written fairy tales in the report,” Justice Ahmed said and suggested Mehmood should leave the job if he could not understand it.

Justice Ahmed said that the court was being fooled around and the development authority was telling one lie after the other, adding that the outlook of the federal capital had been messed up.

The judge said that the encroachments around the Centaurus Mall were still at the same point as before and questioned why the authority was concerned about allocating a plot for mall parking as if was to be given as a gift. Justice Ahmed highlighted that although the grills were erected on the plot’s boundary still hundreds of motorcycles were being parked there every day.

He said: “ Does CDA even know what it was doing?” and directed production of the master plan of 1960 adding that all additional constructions other than the master-plan should be demolished.

“God blessed Islamabad with immense natural beauty but CDA destroyed it by spreading garbage,” Justice Ahmed said.

The CDA member apologised to the court to which Justice Ahmed responded, “Don’t be sorry”, adding that the officials just liked to sit in the chairs in their offices.

He remarked that the roads of Islamabad were covered with dust and there were potholes on them while the trees were hardly visible anywhere.

“There are no pedestrian bridges on many roads and the entire city was filled with odor and garbage,” he added and said that the authority did not bother to repair any roads other than the Constitutional Avenue.

He remarked that the D-Chowk had grown taller than the National Assembly building. Justice Ahmed inquired of who was currently chairing the authority to which the member replied that Amir Ali Ahmed was currently serving as the acting Chairman CDA.

At this, the court remarked that the work was on a halt as the acting chairman was still on the seat.

He added: “Whether we should issue a notice to the chairman or bring him to the court through the police.”

The court issued notices to the chairmen of the NHA, CDA, and the attorney general and adjourned the case until December 6 (today).

CDA officials used bulldozers to tear down barbed wire fence erected on state land the management of Centaurus Mall, Islamabad who were illegally utilizing the said space for parking.

During an operation on Thursday, the enforcement staff of CDA with the help of Islamabad district administration, Islamabad Police and Islamabad Traffic Police eliminated the illegal parking in front of Centaurus Mall, while the management has been instructed to refrain by utilizing the space for parking on land otherwise legal action would be taken against them.

Earlier, the CDA had demolished the illegal parking but the mall’s administration had again broken the barbed wire and started using it as parking.

After the operation, the relevant CDA department has started remarking of the area. Meanwhile, the CDA’s Building Control Directorate on Thursday sealed the houses which are being utilized as Guest Houses in the residential area in violation of building by-laws and non-conforming use.

Three houses in Sector F-7/3 were being used for commercial purposes rather than residential and were operating as guest houses in violation of by-laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2019.