Islamabad - After launching a scheme without approval of the layout plan and no objection certificate (NOC) from Capital Development Authority (CDA), the management of Ghauri Town, a housing scheme in private sector, has flouted the CDA’s authority again by breaking the seals of CDA’s magistrate to reopen its offices.
The CDA had sealed the Ghauri Town offices over one month back as it viewed the housing scheme illegal. The management is facing legal action for the crime; nonetheless, the CDA is yet to formally invoke the relevant laws to grill the violators. The CDA high-ups are yet to take a final decision on the recommendations of the Deputy Director Planning Wing Zone-4 (Regional Planning directorate) for legal action against the law violators, said sources in the CDA.
According to details, Ghauri Town/Ghauri Gardens (all phases) housing scheme in Zone-4 is illegal/unauthorised/unapproved and there is neither any process undertaken nor any approval of layout plan/NOC issued by the CDA. The CDA time and again reminded the management of the housing scheme to comply with the CDA by-laws and obtain approval for the scheme but to no avail. After issuing repeated reminders, the enforcement directorate of the authority along with CDA magistrate sealed Ghauri Town housing scheme on November 17, 2015. But the management neither stopped the development work nor submitted the required documents in the authority. So much so, they reopened the offices by breaking the seal of CDA magistrate.
Deputy Director planning wing Zone-4 (Regional Planning directorate), in a letter to the DG environment, director enforcement and the magistrate on January 25, 2016, has recommended strict action against the management of Ghauri Town at the earliest. The CDA is yet to approach police for registering a criminal case against the management.
Earlier, in November last, a team from the CDA enforcement wing accompanied by the authority’s magistrate had sealed two entry points and a sales office for phase-II and phase-III of the private housing scheme, located along Islamabad Expressway. But to the astonishment of the general public, the CDA high-ups had suspended its own deputy director enforcement on undertaking operation against the illegal housing society.
The CDA sources had claimed that the action was taken on the pressure of MNA Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who was annoyed with the said officer for conducting the operation against Ghauri Town. The sources further said that the MNA, now state minister for CADD, was annoyed with the said officer over sealing the main gates and booking office of the housing society. He had reached the spot right after the CDA operation against the said housing scheme and while talking to protesters said that he ordered CDA chairman to immediately remove the officer who was leading the operation. The CDA enforcement wing had sealed two main gates and a sale office of the Ghauri Town, a housing scheme alongside the Islamabad Express Highway. This operation had also triggered a protest by the residents of the housing scheme, who blocked the main road for more than two hours. Next day, the office and field staff of the CDA enforcement wing protested against the suspension orders of their immediate boss.
According to CDA’s housing societies’ directorate, there are at least 109 unapproved housing schemes operating within the municipal limits of the authority. The 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 the CDA by-laws, all construction activities are banned in Zone-III — the Margalla Hills National Park but six illegal schemes still operate there.