islamabad - Construction of illegal structures in the capital is so rampant that all the marquees on Eastern side of the Islamabad Expressway have been built and are operating illegally, The Nation has learnt. 

Right from Faizabad to Rawat, several marquees line up along the Expressway. These wedding halls were established without following the rules and regulations. Nearly 99 per cent of the marriage halls (marquees) in the area are not licensed.

Owners of these marquees never sought permission/NOC from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for construction of a wedding hall, according to the officials at planning wing of the authority.

Apart from being illegal and a cause of nuisance for the neighbourhood and road users, the halls functioning illegally are causing revenue loss to the CDA as well. However, the officials supposed to stop mushroom growth of the illegal marquees are apparently beneficiaries of the illegality. It is why they would not move to stop them.

According to rough estimates, there are around 21 marquees in the area and all of them are ‘illegal’ as they are functioning without valid CDA permission or NOC, according to the CDA officials. These marquees and marriage halls had been built without prior approval from the competent authority. No action was taken against any marquee during the construction period and the irregularities continue unabated.

The CDA officials said that none of the owners of these marquees ever applied for permission/NOC from the CDA except one, Haveli, which also could not fulfil the criteria and its case is pending with the planning wing of the CDA.

According to a survey conducted by The Nation, the illegal marquees include The Avalon Marquee, Margalla Grande, Haveli, Empire Marquee, Majesty Marquee, Margalla Grande Marquee, Reet Wedding Hall, Monal Marquee, Sardar Marriage Hall, Shadi Mehal Marriage Hall, Empire Marquee, Sundas Marriage Hall, Paradise Complex Islamabad, Mawaa Memorable Moments, Mishal, Heaven View, Empire Majesty, Marcella Grande, Clay Oven and The Pavilion.

When asked about any action taken against the illegal marquees, CDA Deputy Director (Zone-4/IP) Abdul Haque Brohi responded in the negative. “We have sent notices to them and nothing else,” he said. When asked about the profile of the illegal marquees, he said that Member (Planning) CDA had asked him not to share the details with anyone else. He said that notices had already been sent to the violators. In response to the question as to why the CDA had allowed the owners to construct huge complexes in violation of the laws, Brohi vowed that action would be taken against them. He admitted that the civic body was losing out on a lot of revenue as a majority of these halls were functioning illegally.

A senior official of the CDA admitted that the marquees could not be run without connivance of the officials of the civic agency. However, no inquiry has been ordered to ascertain involvement of the officials in allowing them to operate, he added.

With the number of illegal marquees and marriage halls on the rise, the problems caused by them have also increased manifold. From nuisance for the road users to fighting for parking, the people, especially those living close to these halls, are largely inconvenienced. These marquees add to the nuisance faced by motorists as they have to confront wedding processions going to and from their homes every day.

The illegality does not stop here. The marquees have also occupied green belt along the Expressway to have direct access to the main road. Under the law, they are required to apply for the access road through the green belt and pay annual fee to the CDA.

With the huge money involved in the business, the CDA officials find it difficult to keep tab on illegal constructions and encroachment of the state land. They would not even share details of the illegal marquees with anyone. The CDA officials are unable to stop unauthorised construction throughout the city despite the fact that top officials of the civic agency are aware of the problem. This state of affairs have also deprived the CDA of handsome revenue on account of building scrutiny fee, trade fee etc.