Illegal housing scheme: Ghauri Town operation triggers massive protest

Residents take to streets, block Islamabad Expressway

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority kicked-off its drive against illegal housing societies in Islamabad on Tuesday in the populous Ghauri Town area.

A team from the CDA enforcement wing, accompanied by the authority’s magistrate, sealed two entry points and a sales office for phase-II and phase-III of the private housing scheme, located along Islamabad Expressway.

According to CDA’s housing societies’ directorate, there are at least 109 unapproved housing schemes operating within the municipal limits of the civic authority.

But by Tuesday evening, residents of Ghauri Town had blocked Islamabad Expressway in protest against the drive, causing immense difficulties to commuters. The highway was blocked for almost two hours, which caused a huge traffic jam in the area. A heavy contingent of police was later deployed to avoid any untoward incident.

Residents were of the view that they had been living in the area for over 15 years and had never known that the scheme was illegal.

CDA records show that as many as 64 illegal housing schemes are currently operating in Zone-IV, 16 in Zone-II and Zone-III and 29 in Zone-V of the city. Under CDA bylaws, all construction activities are banned in Zone-III — the Margalla Hills National Park — but six illegal schemes still operate there.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recently initiated investigations into illegal housing schemes in Islamabad, for which the CDA has already submitted its records.

Over the years, the CDA has issued multiple advertisements identifying a number of illegal housing colonies, including Ghauri Town, by name, and urging citizens not to do business with the operators.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2015.