ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to develop a mechanism aimed at addressing citizens’ complaints promptly.

“The CDA is the custodian of the citizens’ rights and its officials should be cognisant of their duty,” observed Justice Jawwad S Khawaja who was heading a three-judge Supreme Court bench.

The bench was hearing an appeal of a private consultant, Bridge Factor (Pvt) Ltd, against Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s rejection of its petition against a CDA notice on June 6, 2014.

In its notice. the CDA had objected to the company’s office in a residential area in Sector F-7/1.

At the last hearing on Feb 9, the apex court had asked the civic body to develop rules to deal with non-conforming use of approximately 2,500 residential plots.

On Tuesday, when the case was taken up, Advocate Hafiz S.A. Rehman, representing the CDA, told the court that an updated report which the civic body had to furnish was not complete and sought more time.

The counsel, however, assured the court that he would submit a fresh report giving a fresh update on the removal of encroachments and roadblocks raised in the residential areas by some foreign missions, security agencies and private parties for security purposes.

The court ordered the CDA to come up with a comprehensive report by Feb 27 which should also carry the responses of the foreign missions to the notices issued to them for removing the encroachments.

Besides, the report should also have replies of the capital territory administration, the CDA, the Islamabad commissioner and police about the latest position on the encroachments.

Earlier, the CDA informed the court that it had removed 18 blockades through the Foreign Office.

Letters have been sent to the embassies, inviting their attention towards Article 41 of the Vienna Convention which calls for respecting the local laws of the country where the foreign mission is situated, the CDA reply submitted to the apex court said.

The CDA also informed the court that 81 out of 90 security blockades put in place by the police had been removed.

About the blockades set up by private houses, the CDA stated that it had removed 18 out of 87 security barriers while action against the rest was in progress.

Published in Dawn February 25th , 2015

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