Misusing agro-farms: SC wants enforcement of compliance order

Orders CDA to submit full list of allottees; counsel informs court that notices have been issued to violators.

ISLAMABAD:

The country’s top court on Tuesday directed the capital’s civic authorities to enforce its compliance order on use of agriculture farms and submit complete list farms allotted to influential people.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench, comprising of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, directed the Capital Development authority (CDA) to furnish the list of persons to whom agriculture plots were allotted in the federal capital.



The bench was hearing a suo motu case on the conversion of agro-farms into palatial houses, marriage halls and other businesses in violation of rules.

These agricultural plots were leased out to influential people and institutions in eight suburban areas of the capital including Chak Shahzad, Murree Road, Kahuta Road and Tarlai Kalan.

The CDA counsel Afnan Kundi informed the Supreme Court bench that notices have been served on people who were using agriculture farms for purposes other than agriculture.

He said that the authority had asked the owners of the farms to remove all illegal constructions within 45 days of receiving the notices.

The counsel said the civic agency wanted to restore the 504 agro-farms to their original shape and would not spare any person.



Kundi placed the summary of the decisions taken by CDA on record and said the permission for construction on additional area was given without any rationale and justification, and should be declared void and reverted to its original position of 4,850 square feet.

The maximum permissible covered area of houses on agro-farm plots was originally limited to one storey and 4,850 square feet. However, in 2004, the size was increased to 10,000sq.ft and later, increased to 12,500sq.ft along with permission to construct additional storey.

CDA Estate Management Director Aslam Chaudhry said that the leasing of plots for setting up agro-farms began in the 1970s. Later, such plots were given on the recommendation of the high ups, while after the 1980s no agriculture plots were given to anyone.

He said there were three categories of the allottees: The first was for persons affected by Islamabad’s development, whose lands were acquired for development of different urban sectors; the second group was of those who were allotted plots on the recommendation of senior CDA and government officials; while the third category is of those who were given plots on lease.

The plots were given with the intention that they would produce agriculture and poultry products to meet the needs of the residents and helping control prices, but with the passage of time, the owners started misusing the farms for residential or commercial purposes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.