The mighty untouchables: No action against bigwigs
CDA fails to take action against influentials, housing societies occupying state land
A PML-Q politician has refused to vacate this Rs100 million plot next to his house. It serves as a private lawn and parking area. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has reiterated that the operation against illegal slums would continue across Islamabad until the civic agency has retrieved ‘every last inch of occupied land’.
However, it seems the authority is only going after the poor slum-dwellers and is reluctant to take action against the elite who have encroached upon state land in posh areas of the capital.
Public land turned into private lawns
Hundreds of plots, officially sanctioned for the capital’s beautification, are now illegally encroached upon in Islamabad’s posh sectors and serve the purpose of sprawling lush private lawns.
Nearly 500 plots were originally allotted under legal cover by the CDA to allow landowners near seasonal streams to support beautification of the city. Unsurprisingly, like several other CDA policies, the beautification policy was also misused.
During the last two years, the CDA has withdrawn a number of such allotments but has failed to take possession from powerful politicians and retired and serving bureaucrats.
One such allottee is a powerful politician and known industrialist of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q. He was given a 1,000-square-yard plot several years ago under the beautification policy. The plot is located next to his house in Sector F-6.
The authority put the plot up for auction twice but had to take it down from the list hours before the action because the allottee refused to vacate the plot. The plot now serves as a private lawn and parking — valued at an estimated Rs100 million.
Similarly, Shahid Rafi, a former bureaucrat, was given a plot in Sector F-7 under the same policy in 2007. Rafi has developed a private lawn on the plot and has not vacated it despite several notices. “There are three sewage lines running under the plot given to me. Thus erecting a structure over it is technically impossible,” Rafi told The Express Tribune.
There are an estimated 500 plots in various sectors that have been encroached upon in the name of beautification. Many occupants have flatly reused to vacate the land, a CDA official shared.
In sectors F-6 and F-7 alone, over 200 such lucrative plots of varying sizes are being used as private lawns by allottees. Together these plots value around Rs40 billion.
Real estate tycoons
Then there are dozens of influential real estate developers working within the CDA jurisdiction and in violation of bylaws. In June, the authority had said that there 109 illegal housing societies and agro-farming schemes operating in the city’s territorial limits.
As many as 64 illegal schemes are currently operating in Zone-IV, 16 in Zone-II and Zone-III, and 29 in Zone-V of the city. Majority of these societies have encroached upon state land worth billions of rupees.
Recently, the CDA said it was unable to develop its planned Kuri Model Village as almost one third of the village land had been occupied by the country’s most powerful real estate tycoon who sold the land to individuals after marking residential and commercial plots. It seems the CDA has limited its role to only publishing a list of legal and illegal housing schemes and does not plan on moving against them in any form.
CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said the authority had recently taken back six plots, which were given under the beautification policy, and sold them at an open auction. “Efforts are under way to retrieve the remaining plots. Permission granted in the past has been cancelled and notices have been served,” he said.
Sajid said CDA informs the public through media advertisements about the illegal housing schemes and has also been taking action against the violators.
Concluding part of exclusive report on encroachments in the city
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2015.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has reiterated that the operation against illegal slums would continue across Islamabad until the civic agency has retrieved ‘every last inch of occupied land’.
However, it seems the authority is only going after the poor slum-dwellers and is reluctant to take action against the elite who have encroached upon state land in posh areas of the capital.
Public land turned into private lawns
Hundreds of plots, officially sanctioned for the capital’s beautification, are now illegally encroached upon in Islamabad’s posh sectors and serve the purpose of sprawling lush private lawns.
Nearly 500 plots were originally allotted under legal cover by the CDA to allow landowners near seasonal streams to support beautification of the city. Unsurprisingly, like several other CDA policies, the beautification policy was also misused.
During the last two years, the CDA has withdrawn a number of such allotments but has failed to take possession from powerful politicians and retired and serving bureaucrats.
One such allottee is a powerful politician and known industrialist of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q. He was given a 1,000-square-yard plot several years ago under the beautification policy. The plot is located next to his house in Sector F-6.
The authority put the plot up for auction twice but had to take it down from the list hours before the action because the allottee refused to vacate the plot. The plot now serves as a private lawn and parking — valued at an estimated Rs100 million.
Similarly, Shahid Rafi, a former bureaucrat, was given a plot in Sector F-7 under the same policy in 2007. Rafi has developed a private lawn on the plot and has not vacated it despite several notices. “There are three sewage lines running under the plot given to me. Thus erecting a structure over it is technically impossible,” Rafi told The Express Tribune.
There are an estimated 500 plots in various sectors that have been encroached upon in the name of beautification. Many occupants have flatly reused to vacate the land, a CDA official shared.
In sectors F-6 and F-7 alone, over 200 such lucrative plots of varying sizes are being used as private lawns by allottees. Together these plots value around Rs40 billion.
Real estate tycoons
Then there are dozens of influential real estate developers working within the CDA jurisdiction and in violation of bylaws. In June, the authority had said that there 109 illegal housing societies and agro-farming schemes operating in the city’s territorial limits.
As many as 64 illegal schemes are currently operating in Zone-IV, 16 in Zone-II and Zone-III, and 29 in Zone-V of the city. Majority of these societies have encroached upon state land worth billions of rupees.
Recently, the CDA said it was unable to develop its planned Kuri Model Village as almost one third of the village land had been occupied by the country’s most powerful real estate tycoon who sold the land to individuals after marking residential and commercial plots. It seems the CDA has limited its role to only publishing a list of legal and illegal housing schemes and does not plan on moving against them in any form.
CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said the authority had recently taken back six plots, which were given under the beautification policy, and sold them at an open auction. “Efforts are under way to retrieve the remaining plots. Permission granted in the past has been cancelled and notices have been served,” he said.
Sajid said CDA informs the public through media advertisements about the illegal housing schemes and has also been taking action against the violators.
Concluding part of exclusive report on encroachments in the city
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2015.