Islamabad - Although the proposed project to link KP with Islamabad through a tunnel failed in the past, yet some influential landholders, including a sitting member of the National Assembly of the ruling party from Abbottabad who is holding an important position in the Parliament, want to carve out a road through Margalla Hills National Park in a bid to connect Islamabad with KP through village Talhar.
The developers have even managed to get an NOC issued from the planning wing of the Capital Development Authority and if the environment wing of the CDA does not interfere, the developers would manage to construct the road; thus causing serious threats to the environment of the area, The Nation has learnt.
The armed guards of the developers have even forced the CDA security guards to flee the area and those armed guards could now be seen there.
The plan was thwarted in the middle of the way after the Capital Development Authority in a significant development stopped the developers from carrying out further work and confiscated heavy machinery levelling forest area at the site.
A private land developer, who owns nearly 2600-kanal of land on the rear side of Margalla Hills falling within the territorial limits of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with the help of local land holders and the said MP intends to develop housing society at this land.
The plan involves construction of road to give entrance to the proposed housing society from Islamabad.
The security directorate of the authority, which recently carried out preliminary investigation into the issue, has submitted a report with the office of the chairman CDA over the issue.
The report, which is also seen by this scribe, contains pictures of heavy machinery levelling forestland. The report says that security directorate confiscated a dozer, besides deputing its officials on the site.
It all started almost one month ago when one Raja Sajjad managed to obtain a no-objection certificate from planning and design wing of the authority for the construction of a “temporary” causeway - a small bridge to cross a seasonal nullah passing through Margalla Hills at village Kingra.
He got permission for erection of bridge citing inconvenience faced by local school going children while crossing the nullah during monsoon season.
Documents suggest that environment wing of the CDA opposed the issuance of NOC saying, “It will pave way for developmental activities including establishment of private housing colonies in forest area falling in KP limits.”
Ignoring the suggestion, the planning wing issued NOC allegedly succumbing to the pressure exerted by PML-N lawmaker, a senior official confided.
However, once the NOC issued, the environment wing once again wrote to the planning wing to cancel permission and block the passage, but it went unheard once again.
According to the inquiry report, protected forest area measuring 300 square feet is affected because of that permission.
It is important to mention here that already a road exists there over seasonal nullah and it was allowed during the last PPP regime.
Now it requires construction of two-kilometre road to reach the proposed housing colony and it was impossible until construction of causeway at seasonal nullah.
A senior official of the planning wing speaking on condition of anonymity said, “Planning wing never issued NOC for construction of road but a temporary causeway.” He said permission was given after locals threatened that CDA would be responsible if any loss to life of locals occurred while crossing seasonal nullah during monsoon.
If someone, he said, was going beyond the clearly specified mandate of NOC then it was illegal and the person is liable to be dealt with in accordance with law. The officer said the NOC was linked with submission of design of the causeway with the engineering wing of the authority.
None of the officials of the CDA talked over the issue on record.
When asked about action, a security department officer said the CDA had already confiscated machinery, besides temporarily blocking the way. He said soon police would be contacted for registration of FIR against the accused.
When contacted the CDA spokesperson, he said he had no knowledge about the issue.