ISLAMABAD - Director Emergency and Disaster Management unit of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad has withdrawn the notices served to property owners for lack of preventive measures and constituted a committee for issuance of such notices in future, according to an office order issued here on December 12.

Director Zafar Iqbal has also cancelled all notices which were served by Fire Audit and Prevention Wing in the limits of ICT from August to date ‘without approval of the director’. The office order said that a committee would re-examine all the notices issued by the EA&P wing. The committee comprises of AD EA&P, Deputy Director USAR, Assistant Director EA&P, Assistant Director Industries EA&P and Assistant Director Fire Operation. It said that in future, all notices shall be submitted to the undersigned through the said committee for principle approval and the in-charge would also submit the detailed visit plan on weekly basis.

Zafar Iqbal and another officer of the department, Attaullah, have been at the centre of a controversy arising from the incumbency of the office of the director since months. According to the sources, the move is to curtail the powers of the other officers to serve the notice for fire audit and prevention.

The officials said that several notices were served to the property owners in the said period and withdrawal of all those notices would not serve the Corporation.

Meanwhile, Islamabad district administration banned construction in sector F-14 and F-15 in the city. An Order issued by the office of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Saddar) Islamabad said that it had been noticed that some people were constructing houses in the villages falling in the two sectors which have been acquired for development of housing scheme of Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation.

“The houses are being constructed only for the sake of improvement and to enhance compensation of built-up property which is against the law,” said the Order.

 The administration has imposed section 144 to prohibit the construction and transportation of construction material within the limits of the sectors.

The order shall remain in force for a period of 2 months. The local police have been directed accordingly.

It is to mention here that the Foundation could not develop the two sectors since years due to different issues including the one of possession of the land and shifting of the land owners.

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