I-11 slum: Another 750 houses flattened

Operation against slums in Tarnol, Chakri, Rawat and Taxila on the cards

ISLAMABAD:

The civic agency and the local administration continued their operation in I-11 slum on Saturday as heavily guarded bulldozers razed another 750 structures on the third day.

The operation, being carried out with the assistance of the local police and Rangers started at 10am and continued till 7:30pm as authorities did not face any resistance from the slum-dwellers.

The slum residents were seen trying to relocate their belongings, fearing they may also have to dig them from under the debris of shattered structures, which the other slum-dwellers had to do during the pervious two days.

The Capital Development Agency (CDA) Spokesperson, Ramzan Sajid said that 90 per cent demolition work in I-11/1 slum and 70 per cent in I-11/4 settlement was completed by the evening. He said around 750 illegally-built structures were demolished on Saturday.

The authorities were expecting to complete the operation on Sunday (today).

CDA Chairperson Maroof Afzal also visited the site and chaired an informal meeting, which was also attended by CDA Member Administration and Estate Amer Ahmed Ali, Member Environment Syed Mustafain Kazmi, Member Engineering Shahid Sohail, deputy commissioner, Islamabad Capital Territory Administration among others.

Afzal was told that the slum dwellers were vacating the structures voluntarily and no resistance was shown during the operation.

The CDA chairman said that after the operation the civic agency would ensure all efforts to hand over possession of plots to the original allottees. The fencing of the evacuated land is also in progress to discourage the reemergence of encroachments.

Medical camp, control room:

“The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration has also established a control room to monitor the operation,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdus Sattar Essani. He said that the administration had also established a free medical camp. The administration also provided 50 trucks and two dozens labourers to the slum-dwellers to shift their luggage.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2015.