ISLAMABAD: Those private schools which are operating from residential areas in the city are to be given land in better suited areas for them to build their campuses on, though the modus operandi for this is yet to be finalised.

At a meeting on Friday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed the Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to form a committee which will draft recommendations for the allotment of plots to private schools.

The committee will also be tasked with chalking out a transparent plan for carrying out the project in a specified time.

The interior minister asked that the committee submit these recommendations within a week.

Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Maroof Afzal told the meeting that the Supreme Court’s directive for moving private schools was applicable to 350 schools in which a total of 90,000 students are enrolled.

The interior minister then said that the government was taking steps towards moving all private schools operating in residential areas in accordance with Supreme Court orders as soon as possible and that this will be done after consultations with all stakeholders to avoid problems.

Negligence by previous government has meant unnecessary amendments to CDA’s master plan, the interior minister said and that there were many irregularities in these plans now which had brought problems for residents and the for the city’s administration.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary Arif Khan, Inspector General Police Islamabad Khalid Khattak, Commissioner Zulfiqar Haider, Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmed and senior officers of the ministry of interior and CADD.

An official of CDA told Dawn that a plan had been drawn up by the authority for allocating plots in each sector of the capital. According to this plan, two to three plots of five kanals each are to be auctioned to schools.

The official said moving all schools to one location was not feasible as such a large expanse of land was only available in Rawat and that if schools moved there, it would create difficulties for students.

Many believe auctioning plots in different sectors of the capital will only benefit the bigger schools and that smaller schools will not be able to find finances to buy land.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2016