ISLAMABAD-The city managers are reluctant to take action against the encroachments on main Murree road and limited themselves to serving notices only.
In the last week of June, the Building Control Section of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had issued notices to several motels and hotels, including the Islamabad Club, to remove their encroachments from Murree Road and warned for an anti-encroachment operation in case of failure.
The notices were served to the premises including motels/hotels and the club located along the Murree Road for immediate removal of encroachments and other installations established on the Right Of Way or beyond their plot line.
The motels and hotels which were asked to remove their encroachments includes Embassy Lodge, Best Western, Dream Land Motel, Majestic Banquets and Ramada. They were asked to remove barriers, guard rooms, entry gates, iron grills, generators and other constructions and encroachments established on the right of way of the Murree Road.
Furthermore, Islamabad Club had also been served notices to remove the boundary wall and other installations established on the right of way of the road.
These notices have been served under the clause 49-C of CDA Ordinance 1960
However, the authority which remained busy in removing the encroachments of small entrepreneurs in last couple of months has been failed to take action against the bigwigs of the city, who are illegally using the state land worth billions of rupees illegally.
When contacted, a source in CDA informed that though the city managers had served notices and issued press releases, could start an operation due to extensive pressure received from concerned circles.
A senior manager of one of the renowned international hotel on the condition of anonymity informed The Nation that they asked CDA to start operation from Islamabad Club’s corner and then move towards private entities.
“When they cannot conduct an operation against Islamabad Club then why they are threatening us on similar violation”, he said.
However, the director building control section Muhammad Fasil Naeem said that the matter is in line but due to operation in other areas, CDA couldn’t carry out the operation in the said area.
He, however, assured that the operation against all encroachments will be carried out without any discrimination.
Though the city mangers issued notices over encroachments, at the same time ignored the bigger violations that most of the said plots fall under non-conforming use.
The said strip was allocated for construction of motels only with an aim to provide lodging facilities only, especially to cater to the needs of sports events, which were planned to be organised in the area.
However, later with the help of the CDA, the owners converted the plots to commercial ventures and established full-fledge hotels for which the area was never earmarked.
A senior officer of the authority commented that the BCS should serve lease termination notices instead of giving notices for removal of their encroachments only as violation of the lease agreement is a bigger illegality than encroachments.