Two injured as people resist CDA operation

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) demolished shops, boundary walls, mud houses and residential rooms in various sectors of Islamabad in an anti-encroachment drive on Wednesday.

Two people, Ghulam Ali, 15, and Arif Hussain, 44, were injured during the operation. Deputy Director CDA Malik Attaullah said they sustained minor injuries because they were resisting CDA officials. About 170 officials from the CDA Enforcement Directorate took part in the drive. Captain (Retd.) Faiz Muhammad, CDA Director Enforcement, said residents had complained several times about encroachments in Faizabad, Khana Pul, Pirwadhai Chowk, sectors G-12 and I-12, Karachi Company and Sitara Market.

Hundreds of shops run by influential people had illegally occupied huge areas of land and resisted the CDA to the point of injuring four officials in the last operation, he said. At least three shops were bulldozed in Bhekha Sydan, Sector F-11, and five mud houses were bulldozed in Sector G-7/3. Raja Tahir, a business man in Sector F-11 Markaz said, “We will take the CDA to court. These shops were built with the permission of CDA,” he said. CDA official Faiz responded that the authority takes action only against “illegal property.”