Katchi abadi residents: No provision to compensate occupants, says CDA

Authority submits report in Supreme Court regarding action against slums

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has defended its operations against the city’s slums, saying there is no provision in the CDA Ordinance 1960 to compensate illegal occupants of land already vested to the authority.

The civic agency submitted a reply regarding the demolition of katchi abadis in the Supreme Court on Saturday.

The three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, on August 26 had stopped the federal government and other departments from demolishing katchi abadis in the capital. The hearing of the case will resume on Monday (today).

The top court also directed the CDA and chief commissioner Islamabad to submit a report regarding the number of total katchi abadis and the ones which have been demolished so far in addition to seeking the policy for providing shelter to citizens.

The bench issued these directives on a constitutional petition filed by the affected dwellers of the razed I-11 katchi abadi, and the Awami Workers Party.

Regarding its policy to provide shelter to citizens, the CDA has thrown the ball in the court of the ministry of housing saying the ministry deals with public housing issues and related projects.

The CDA, in its concise statement, said there are 42 illegal katchi abadies in Islamabad.

As per approval of the interior ministry, the statement says the CDA will demolish the slums in four phases, adding that in phase 1, 18 illegal settlements will be demolished, while 11 in phase II, five in phase III and eight in phase IV.

The authority also revealed that as part of the first phase operations, a drive was conducted on July 22 in Sector H-10/1 where 85 illegal houses were razed.

In the second operation in Sector I-10/3, 250 illegal structures were razed. A compliance report was submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on July 24 which was declared unsatisfactory and the IHC then directed action against the I-11 katchi abadi.

On August 3, all the illegal houses in that settlement were completely razed, the statement said.

The CDA submitted that the area was acquired by the authority through award of land in 1968 and the allotment of plots started in 1989. But due to the illegal occupation there, the possession could not be handed over to the allotees, it added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2015.