CDA report on illegal housing societies trashed

IHC tells civic agency, cooperative housing society registrar to submit fresh reports

ISLAMABAD: The apex civic authority of the federal capital failed on Thursday to satisfy the court as it submitted a report on illegal housing projects initiated by government institutions and departments in the city.

A single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah presided over 45 petitions, which have been clubbed together,  against illegal housing societies in the federal capital on Thursday.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamza Shafqaat appeared before the court. However, the absence of CDA’s planning member left the court exasperated.

The bench directed the CDA, as well as the Cooperative Housing Society Registrar Shafqaat to submit a new report after identifying all illegal housing societies in the city.

At the onset of the hearing, CJ Minallah was informed that the CDA planning member was on his way.

At this, the court asked under which authority state departments used their names for building housing schemes.

At this, the registrar disclosed that no housing society has been registered in the past decade. The court noted this is a major failure in implementing the law with regards to illegal housing schemes in the federal capital territory.

“Could there be a more definitive example of the violation of the law?” CJ Minalllah remarked, adding that the civic authority has played the role of a facilitator in the entire issue.

The court further questioned the role of the interior ministry and the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

“For a state department, isn’t using its name for housing projects a conflict of interest?” CH Minallah asked again and pointed to a farmhouse project which was being petitioned against in the court.

At this, the counsel for the Navy stated that there were some 500 such housing societies established across the country He noted that there is a housing society which uses the name of the Supreme Court as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2020.