Unification of power proves useless in eradicating encroachments

ISLAMABAD-The unification of bureaucratic powers in a single hand proved to be useless as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to effectively curb encroachments, non-confirming use and illegal housing societies in federal capital.

In past, the civic authority was continuously complaining for non-cooperation from Islamabad district administration and police in different operations launched across the city to remove encroachments, sealing operation against non-conforming use of buildings in residential areas and violation of the master plan as well as the zoning regulations by the private housing schemes.

However, since last one year, the Chief Commissioner Islamabad Amir Ali Ahmed is heading both ICT administration and CDA. It was envisioned at the time of his appointment that now the issue of the lack of cooperation would be resolved while somehow it was witnessed as well in the start.

But, now the situation has once again turned around and the anti-encroachment operations in the city become useless as the people create the same encroachments again. Meanwhile, the number of non-conforming use is also increasing day by day.

A ‘haphazard and selective anti-encroachment operation’ in the capital city has failed to achieve its desired goals, as there is no mechanism to monitor the encroachment activities to avoid their recurrence.

On the other side, almost all of the class-III shopping centres are being used for non-conforming purposes but the civic body never bothered to remove the nuisance from the residential areas as Islamabad’s Kohsar Market is the best example of it. When contacted, CDA’s spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali refuted the impression and said that our enforcement teams are continuously doing operations in the city and the authority is taking strict action against the violations of building bylaws as well.

He said Chief Commissioner Islamabad being Chairman CDA is effectively resolving the issues of capital city and as a result we got vacated hundreds of kanals land in E-12 and Park Enclave from illegal occupants.

He, however, said that ending encroachments inside the markets is the responsibility of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and it is their negligence if the markets are not cleared from the encroachments.

The MCI is being controlled through Chief Metropolitan Officer and currently the CDA’s Member Engineering Humayun Akhtar Khan is holding this office as well and blaming MCI alone is not justified.

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/09-Mar-2020/unification-of-power-proves-useless-in-eradicating-encroachments