Highway widening hurdle: CDA yet to take action against filling station

The pump is owned by an alleged business partner of a former deputy speaker.

ISLAMABAD: All eyes are on the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and its proposed plan to bulldoze a petrol pump that was illegally constructed during the outgoing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government’s tenure.

The establishment of the pump on Kashmir Highway in 2010 is in violation of Highway rules, which bar any construction from taking place within 800 feet of a major artery.

According to official documents, the pump is owned by Qazi Imran, stated to be the business partner of an influential PPP leader.

Concerned CDA officials had recently written to the civic agency’s Enforcement Wing calling for the removal of such illegally constructed pumps.

As a result, the CDA Planning Wing’s survey department has been asked to demarcate all illegal structures that falls within this limit of Kashmir Highway.



“Once a property is identified as illegal, it is liable to be demolished immediately,” said a senior CDA Enforcement Wing official.

“The city managers kept mum about the pump’s construction when it started in 2010, but also silently supported it by laying water and sewerage lanes at the site. The water lane was drawn from a main lane that supplies water to Sector G-13,” said a CDA official privy to the developments.

Moreover, the CDA’s has also installed street lights at pump’s entrance and exit and within its premises. “Above all, Islamabad’s master plan does not accommodate the construction of a gas station along Kashmir Highway,” said the official.

The 800-foot limit for highways was announced keeping in mind future expansion plans and to avoid untoward accidents involving pedestrians.

Yet, the official added, the CDA was reluctant to take action against the former National Assembly deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi during his party’s term in power.

Kundi while speaking to The Express Tribune denied that the petrol pump belonged to him or his business partner.

“If the pump was illegally constructed, I will demand the CDA to demolish it without any further delay,” he said.

Human Resources Development Director Aisha Gul, who has also been assigned the additional charge of CDA Public Relations Director, could not be reached despite several attempts to contact her.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2013.