CDA’s scrutiny body finds societies violating bylaws

Three reviewed housing societies did not fully follow master plan

ISLAMABAD: A committee formed by the apex civic authority of the federal capital has found that some housing societies in the federal capital are lacking the due amenities and other facilities listed under the master plan of the city.

The four-member committee constituted to scrutinise housing projects and societies in Islamabad, has completed a survey of four societies so far, while the survey of a fifth society is underway.

The four-member committee comprising the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Master Plan director, CDA Master Plan deputy director, Programming and Evaluation director, and a representative of the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration’s (ICTA) Cooperative Housing Society Department, had been tasked with examining the layout of projects, conducting physical visits of the societies daily to check for irregularities.

The committee surveyed the CBR Housing Society, Aghoush Housing Society, Cabinet Division Housing Society and the Ministry of Interior Housing Society. Surveys in the Soan Garden Housing Society, comparatively a larger than the other four, is still in progress.

During this survey, the committee checked for amenity plots and if plots earmarked in plans are secure, graveyards are available, limits for commercial areas are not violated and whether sewerage treatment plants (STPs) are available.

The survey indicated that STPs were not available in the housing societies which were inspected, except for the interior Ministry Housing Society. However, this plant was not connected with the sewerage network of society.

Moreover, amenities including playgrounds, parks, mosques, graveyards, hospitals, road infrastructure, water supply network and others were either not developed or were not up to the mark as per the approved layout plan.

The committee also inspected various projects being built in these housing societies to check if any building by-laws were being violated. The exercise was carried out to ensure the proper utilisation of areas and plots reserved for amenities including graveyard, schools, hospitals, parks, grounds and other urban facilities in these housing societies so that residents of the societies could be provided with all facilities within the area of their residence.

The committee is expected to submit its report after conducting a detailed survey of all housing societies. In this connection, instructions have been issued to expedite the pace of the process and all-out efforts are made to complete the survey at earliest.

The survey is expected to be completed within a week after which remedial measures shall be initiated.

15,000 kanals of land recovered

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Sunday said that it has recovered around 15,000 kanals of state land from encroachers and land grabbers in the federal capital over the past year, including 8,000 kanals of forest land.

"Some 1,000 acres (8,000 Kanal) of forest land has been handed over to the Punjab Forest Department on which massive forestation is being carried out," said Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat.

He added that the Punjab Forest Department was installing boundary pillars around the recovered land to prevent the re-emergence of encroachers.

Similarly, some 7,000 kanals of land has been recovered from the illegal possession of land grabbers, including an eight-kilometre (km) stretch on the Kashmir Highway, and 20 km in Tarnol and Rawat along the Grand Trunk (GT) Road.

Shafqaat added they had demolished some 500 shops along the GT Road which had been demolished to clear the Right of Way (RoW).

Land related to the RoW had been handed over to the National Highway Authority (NHA), which will be utilised for developing road infrastructure in the area, he maintained.

Moreover, around 600 acres of land in Tumair has also been recovered, he said, adding that the land in the area is still being demarcated by the Survey of Pakistan.

Moreover, some 250 kanals land of the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), which had allegedly been encroached by some politically influential locals, has also been reportedly recovered and returned to the varsity's administration after removing encroachments.

The deputy commissioner said the city administration has also handed over some 2,700 kanals of land for the Botanical Gardens in Bani Gala to the Environment Directorate of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) after boulevard was built around it.

He said that the CDA has also been given 3,000 Kanal land after demolishing illegal buildings in the Sector E-12 of Islamabad.

Some 400 Kanal land on the banks of the Korang River has also been retrieved following an anti-encroachment drive.

To a query, he said that the local administration, in collaboration with other stakeholders, conducted anti-encroachment regularly over the past year and a half.

Despite their efforts, Shafqaat conceded that they have yet to recover around 3,000 kanals of state land in the federal capital, adding that this land remains locked in litigation.

He said that the administration will launch a massive campaign to recover land from encroachers in different areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2020.