Around 175 guesthouses mostly located in F-sector series trouble residents. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD.
Some may find it hard to believe that almost every inch of Islamabad is zoned for a specific use, mostly because violators often go unpunished and are sometimes quietly regularised.
But Farhad Aziz a resident of sector F-6/1, has had enough. He said that the city managers are turning a blind eye to the mushrooming business of guesthouses in the residential areas.
He has been living next to one on Justice Abdur Rasheed Road for the last year.
On Monday he visited the Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters to lodge a complaint against his next-door neighbour’s ‘activities’, which cause inconvenience to him on multiple fronts.
An official at the chairman’s office showed him the way to the Building Control Section for lodging a formal complaint.
“It happened almost a year ago. At first we tolerated it, but now it’s unbearable,” Aziz said adding that he had informed officials in the past as well, but to no effect.
The guesthouse has limited parking space and visitors often park their cars outside his home, he said, adding, “Our sewage lines get choked, while the high volume of televisions next door disturbs our sleep.”
Aziz, who runs a software house, is not alone, as several hundred residents have similar stories to tell. The capital’s civic agency’s record shows some 175 guest or rest houses are running in residential units.
With 144 such guesthouses, the F-series of sectors top the list of violations. There are another 45 guesthouses in the G-series, while the E and I series have 11 and five respectively.
“During a recent drive against land-use rule violations, we primarily targeted the restaurants and showrooms running in residential units,” said CDA Municipal Administration Director Hamza Shafqat, who is also on a committee overseeing non-conforming land use.
This practice had adversely impacted the city on several fronts, Hamza added.
“It makes residential rent rates rise as businessmen will pay substantially more than the established rent to get the house of their choice.”
Non-conforming use also creates an immense burden on the already-fragile and decades-old sewerage infrastructure.
Legal wrangling
Hamza said that the CDA recently served notices to some restaurants and showrooms operating in residential areas, and the operators immediately approached the Islamabad High Court to file suit against the CDA.
“Almost 50 petitions have been filed by the owners of restaurants and showrooms,” he informed, saying the legal team would pursue the cases vigorously. He said guesthouses would become a focal point during the second phase of the drive.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Shahban Khalid sympathised with the CDA’s need to take action against non-conforming use, while suggesting a middle-ground approach to meet the city’s changing needs.
“A rational policy is needed to deal with the increasing menace of non-conforming use,” Khalid said, adding it seems impossible to completely root out businesses from residential units.
He suggested that city bylaws be updated to allow businesses to operate on service roads and wider streets, but not in densely populated areas and congested streets. At the same time, he said that if the CDA takes action against non-conforming use under the existing laws, it must be across the board.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2014.
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