ISLAMABAD: The initiation of development work on two sub-sectors of I-11 has triggered concerns among the dwellers of the I-11/4 slum.

They fear that around 800 graves of their forefathers will be demolished or shifted.

The slum dwellers also said they would never allow the demolition or shifting of the graves.

On the other hand, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has a clear policy under which such graves are shifted to the graveyard of the civic agency.

It may be noted that after failing to move the slum from the sub-sector, the CDA started the development work in the two sub-sectors of I-11/2 and I-11/3. The civic body is using machinery to level the land for the construction of roads and streets.

A resident of the slum, Hakeem Khan, told Dawn that 350 families from the Mohmand Agency had been living on the northern side of the slum for over 35 years.

“Our forefathers are buried here. We cannot allow demolishing or shifting the graves. We will resist if the CDA tried to shift the graves because it is not acceptable for us to remove the bones of our relatives.”

Another resident, Hazar Khan, said last year the CDA tried to shift the graves from the area. He said the residents were ready to resist the move but a bulldozer sent by the civic agency got stuck in a ditch forcing the CDA team to go back.

“We have no objection if the CDA constructs roads. We just want to get assurance that the graves of our forefathers would not be touched.”

He said the CDA had made a routine of ignoring slums for years and then starting ordering the dwellers to leave all of a sudden. “But we will not leave our houses and graves,” he said.

Slum dwellers warn they would not allow shifting of their graveyard in I-11/4

On the other hand, people allotted plots in the I-11 sector are expecting that the development work would be completed soon so that they could start the construction of their houses.

Ijaz Ahmed, an allottee, said he purchased a plot in the sector in 1996 but the development work could not be initiated.

“All allottees have been waiting for the development of the sector because I-11 is one of the oldest sectors of Islamabad which could not be developed so far,” he said.

It may be mentioned that the land award of the sector was announced by the CDA in 1968. The built-up property (payment for constructed structures) award was announced in 1975 and compensations were paid to 94 per cent of the inhabitants of the land. The allotment of plots in the sector started in 1990. A total of 2,497 plots were allotted to the affected people, the CDA employees and the public.

According to a survey conducted by the CDA, at the moment 7,995 people are living in the sector, creating hurdles in the development of the sector besides posing threats to the security of the capital.

An official of the CDA requesting not to be identified said it was the fault of the civic agency that it did not control encroachments and even the establishment of illegal graveyards in the sector.

“This sort of negligence is impossible on a private land. All over the city, people are found encroaching on the CDA land just because no one cares about it,” he said.

Shahid Sohail, the CDA member engineering, told Dawn that according to the policy all the bodies buried in the graveyard would be shifted to the CDA graveyard. However, an approval will be sought from the relatives of the deceased.

“In the past, there was an Afghan Basti in the area and no one was allowed to go there so it was not possible for the CDA to check how the graveyard was established,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Sohail said the development work in the two sub-sectors would be completed in six months.

Published in Dawn February 3rd , 2015

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