December 27, 2003	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 3, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: Mushrooming encroachments on the VVIP route from the Islamabad Highway towards airport and beyond is a potential security hazard identified by the president secretariat.

“The mushroom growth of residential and commercial structures has made the road an unseemly sight and a positive security risk,” a letter from the presidency to the relevant authorities said.

However, the authorities responsible to check the encroachments have turned a blind eye to the problem except for taking routine bureaucratic step of issuing directives banning construction within 200 yards on either side of the Airport Link Road.

Under section 144, the district administration routinely issues orders which “prohibit all kinds of construction in the area of 200 yards on either side from the centre of the road”, sources said.

Thursday’s attempt, second within 11 days on President Musharraf, was launched from two petrol pumps located less than 200 yards away from the centre of the road. One of the petrol stations, in front of the Civil Lines Police Station, belonged to police.

The unauthorized constructions and encroachments, according to official documents, pose a threat to the security of the VIPs as well as planes.

The Rawalpindi district administration, Civil Aviation Authority, Punjab Housing and Physical Planning Department, Capital Development Authority, Rawalpindi Development Authority, Punjab home and chief secretaries are responsible to check encroachments in the VIP movement area.

According to the sources, the relevant authorities were not committed to removing the encroachments as the land mafia was backed by powerful bureaucrats who had illegally purchased the prime land belonging to government departments with the connivance of “Patwaris and Gardawars” and other officials of the revenue department. In some instances, senior bureaucrats and police officials have constructed their houses in the area belonging to the Civil Aviation Authority, they added.

Official documents obtained by Dawn show that the government departments even paid compensation to the illegal occupants of state land to evict them. After taking the compensation, the land mafia again returned, making a mockery of the presidential and prime ministerial directives.

“Reference is made to this office letter...regarding directive of the President/Prime Minister ... and in presence of section 144 SRPC (ACT 5)...a large number of unauthorized constructions are taking place”. The Rawalpindi Development Authority is also not taking any action on such activities, an official letter said.

“A huge amount was also paid to the people for compensation of land on the directive of the prime minister in August 1992,” the official documents show.

On a number of occasions, the CAA found its wings clipped to remove encroachments from its land due to non-cooperation of other government departments and litigation by the encroachers.