ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court has directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to establish a complaint cell for redressing the public complaints regarding usage of residential houses for commercial purposes.
The two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, has also asked CDA to frame the rules for working of this authority. The bench also observed that it is the duty of CDA to protect the rights of the citizens.
The bench is hearing an appeal of a private consultant Bridge Factor (Pvt) Ltd against the Islamabad High Court’s order of June 6 which had rejected a plea by the company against a notice served upon it by the CDA for using the residential area as its office in Sector F-7/1 of Islamabad.
During the hearing, Hafiz SA Rehman, counsel for CDA, informed the bench that 28 operations were conducted to remove the encroachments from the federal capital’s roads as well as against the usage of residential areas for commercial purposes, adding that allotment of 18 houses have been cancelled, wherein commercial activities were going on.
He also stated that 1,695 houses are still being used for commercial purposes and 15 days notices have been served on owners of these houses to end the commercial activities, adding that 62 illegal barricades have been removed from the capital’s roads.
The counsel sought more time for submitting complete reply regarding the removal of barricades around foreign missions. The bench while accepting his plea adjourned the hearing until February 27.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on January 26 submitted a 220-page report to the Supreme Court of Pakistan which details residential units in the city which are being used for commercial purposes and as foreign missions, and the roads and streets closed for security reasons.
The CDA has admitted that “no approval of any kind has been sought from the CDA before some 216 roads, streets and footpaths in Islamabad were closed for the general public under the guise of security.”
The apex court was also informed that the civic body has taken up the embassy issue with the ministry of foreign affairs.
The court was informed that Diplomatic Enclave is a designated area for the establishment of foreign missions. Report says that only 36 countries have completed construction of their embassies in the enclave, while seven embassy buildings are under-construction and 21 plots are still vacant.