September 10, 2002	Tuesday	Rajab 2, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has planned to conduct an operation to get the land of Muslim Colony kutcha abadi vacated, a source told Dawn on Monday.

The CDA chairman has given approval in this regard as the majority of kutcha abadi dwellers have refused to vacate the land, he said.

The authority is trying to shift all the residents of Muslim Colony to Alipur Farash under Model Urban Shelter Project, partly funded by the UNDP.

The source said the authority had approved the construction of 1,024 plots at Alipur Farash for the inhabitants of Muslim Colony. However, so far, 250 residents have applied for plots and the remaining over 750 inhabitants have rejected the project, he said.

The dwellers of Muslim Colony refused to be resettled at Alipur Farash due to lack of basic civic amenities there.

Under the project, plots measuring 88.89 sq yards are being given to shelterless people at the new colony. In the first phase, dwellers of Muslim Town would be shifted.

The CDA has also planned to shift residents of other four kutcha abadis, located at F-6/2, G-8/1, F-7/2, and Noorpur Shahan, to Alipur Farash. The rate of a plot in the new colony is Rs21,000, and Rs8,000 has to be deposited at the time of submission of application. The remaining amount has to be paid in instalments of Rs400 per month.

The UNDP has so far released a grant of Rs0.8 million to the CDA for conducting survey and designing of the grand kutcha abadi at Alipur Frash. The UNDP would release the required amount from time to time, the official said.

Some of the residents of Muslim Colony told Dawn that over 600 households were missing in the list issued by the CDA, comprising names of those who had been allotted plots in the new colony.

They said the study of their children would be affected in case of shifting. They also accused the CDA of occupying the building of a school located at Muslim Colony, as a result of which their children could not study.

When contacted, an official of the authority confirmed that the CDA had planned an operation to get the land vacated.