ISLAMABAD - The Capital Development Authority’s board has rejected a summary recommending earmarking of 44 new sites for the establishment of nurseries in the right of ways (RoW) of major roads.   

The apex decision-making body of CDA met here on Thursday. According to details, a summary prepared by the planning wing of the CDA has recommended to earmark 44 new plots measuring 4 kanals each for the nurseries in the right of way of the major avenues, which includes the RoW of the Kashmir Highway at Sector H-8/2 and H-9/3 and on the RoW of 11th avenue near NUST university.

Though, the planning wing has recommended earmarking the new nursery plots but did not elaborate the way to dispose of the same plots to private individuals.

However, the board members remained unconvinced over allotment of plots to private nurseries at right-of-ways of Kashmir Highway in H-series and rejected the summary presented by Member Planning & Design.

Sources informed that the summary was rejected with a view that the superior courts had already directed the civic body to clear the RoW and an operation is underway against encroachment.

Secondly, the board was of the view that the allocation of nurseries is the purview of Environment Wing of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad not the CDA.   

An internal source told The Nation on the condition of anonymity that several influential nursery owners approached some parliamentarians and other bigwigs to influence and pressurise authority for allotment of plots to them at right of ways of Kashmir Highway.

The source said that CDA officials succumbed to the pressure and prepared a summary for approval of the board. However, the board members after deliberation over the issue decided that establishment of nurseries over orchid farm was somehow a compatible use of nurseries but it cannot be allowed inside the RoW.

The authority had allocated such type of plots in ROWs in past but when authority tries to vacate these places it becomes a difficult task.  Park Road was a classical example of private nurseries.

 at RoWs where 20 to 22 nurseries were established by private investors and when CDA tried to get them vacate it faced not only stiff resistance but also cases in the court of law.