ISLAMABAD: The political sit-ins in Islamabad have proved a blessing in disguise for the field staff of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as they have turned a blind eye to the growing katchi abadis in the city.

The large-scale drive launched by the CDA against slums in April 2014 on the directives of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has almost fizzled out.

“There cannot be any major operation because the capital city administration and the police have been busy dealing with the political developments,” said Asia Gul, the director enforcement of the CDA.

“Even the last meeting of the committee formed on the directives of the IHC to clear the katchi abadis was held in July.”

Headed by the secretary interior, the committee consisted of the commissioner and the deputy commissioner Islamabad and the chairman CDA.

The announcements by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to stage the sit-ins in Islamabad in August diverted the attention of the authorities, including the CDA, towards the political developments.

Even the officials concerned acknowledged that the efforts seemed to have gone in vain. They also acknowledged that dwellers removed from the slums before the start of the sit-ins were resettling on the land. This is not possible without the backing of the CDA field staff, they added.

CDA says capital admin, police officials busy dealing with political developments

“Several large and small katchi abadis were cleared in April but that was possible with the collective efforts of the ICT administration, police and the CDA,” said a senior official of the enforcement department who was involved in the operations. “But now not only everything has been rebuilt again, the number of people in these slums has also increased.”

The IHC took notice of the growing katchi abadis in the city in January and directed the CDA to clear them.

The CDA was able to make a major breakthrough in April by clearing 1,200 kanal greenbelt between I-10 and H-10 from 1,500 settlers.

The operation was launched with the support of officers from the ICT administration and 40 police personnel.

Just four days later, the CDA also removed three small katchi abadis.

After that, however, the enforcement department of the CDA could clear only one or two houses at a time on about 30 acres of encroached land.

The special team of the enforcement directorate on Saturday demolished a house constructed illegally in the slum of Sector H-9.

But the enforcement directorate failed to notice the growing katchi abadi at H-9. A press release issued by the civic body stated: “Action was taken in the aftermath of complaints about illegal constructions in the katchi abadi of Sector H-9.”

The H-9 slum was established on the land where 10th Avenue is to be built to connect the proposed Leh expressway at I.J. Principal Road with the Margalla road passing between F-9 Park and the F-10 sector.

“But the fact is that, only a complete operation can clear these katchi abadis and the dwellers needed to be shifted back to their original districts,” said the director enforcement.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2014