‘Over 100 illegal housing societies in capital’

NA standing committee informed of schemes constructed in breach of legal requirements

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination was informed on Wednesday that some 111 illegal housing societies had been established in the federal capital without fulfilling legal formalities and in violation of the law.

The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Member National Assembly (MNA) Nuzhat Pathan, who took stock of briefings on the Real Estate and Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act and details of Housing Societies in Islamabad, causing severe damage to the environment and sewage system in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and other issues.

The chairperson expressed her resentment at the absence of Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Noorul Amin Mengal. She said the CDA chairman was asked to attend the meeting before the start of the committee and should attend the next committee meeting.

She queried the CDA officials, “How do you authorise housing societies and keep an eye on the changing climate? How are the slum dwellers destroying Islamabad?”

She regretted that the civic agency and relevant departments did not sit and plan to implement tasks with cooperation.

She directed the CDA officials to compile a special paper and brief the committee on the matter in the next meeting.

Director General, Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Farzana Altaf Shah briefed the committee that every institution did not give full approval to any housing project, whether the agency gives environmental approval or not, the CDA started its work on the project.

The committee chair directed that all senior officers of CDA and the environment attend the next meeting that would focus on housing societies of Islamabad only.

On the matter of a mafia’s attack on DG, Pak-EPA Farzana Altaf Shah, Nuzhat Pathan said the police should have cooperated with the civic agency in an enforcement drive as it was shameful to hear that a women officer and head of EPA was manhandled by private business outlet staff. She added that the Capital administration was going to fight with the mafias.

The ICT Police officials on the occasion said that the police used to cooperate with whosoever reached it. He assured that the ICT Administration should take action wherever there was an issue and give prior intimation to the police for proper security arrangements. He added that where the DG EPA was misbehaved with, the police would arrest its owner.

The committee directed the DG Environment to take action along with the police and the police to take action against those who attacked the DG EPA.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2023.