ISLAMABAD: According to a report compiled by the revenue officers of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, about 1,000 kanals of state land along the Soan River in Lohi Bher has been encroached on by locals and housing societies.

According to sources, some of the housing societies have sold hundreds of plots on the riverbed in Lohi Bher, which is located in Zone V of the federal capital, without getting revised layout plans approved by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Mushtaq Ahmed told Dawn that a detailed inquiry was being conducted into the issue which he had ordered when he heard of the encroachments.

“We wrote to the CDA, asking them to tell us about the layout plans for the housing societies in the area,” the DC said, adding section 144 was also imposed in the area on Thursday in order to stop the construction work.

Section 144 imposed to stop further construction on Soan riverbed

According to the sources, the issue came into the notice of the ICT administration after the Federal Flood Commission reported about the encroachments on the riverbeds.

“Lands adjoining the left and right banks of Soan River were developed by various housing societies and local developers,” a report of the flood commission stated.

The report said there had been significant floodplain encroachments in the form of commercial and residential buildings and infrastructure on the left of the river, which was likely to hinder the flow of water during high flow conditions, leading to the inundation of adjoining areas and extensive damage to lives and public and private infrastructure.

“Local developers were constructing a river training wall within the riverbed on the left side of the river which appeared to squeeze more than half of the waterway,” the commission’s report read.

Officials of the revenue department then visited the area to find illegal constructions in the area and started an inquiry into the matter a few days later.

According to the initial report prepared by ICT land revenue officials, around 1,000 kanals in Khasra number 1711, Lohi Bher, is under the illegal occupation of four housing societies and some locals.

When asked, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Rabia Aurangzeb told Dawn that the ICT administration had been making efforts to bring those involved in land grabbing to account.

“I made several visits to the area during the past few days and we also convened a meeting of all stakeholders, including the managements of the housing societies in Lohi Bher, to investigate the matter,” she said.

“We will be approaching the management of the Nandipur Power project for a study of the Soan River,” she said.

Ms Aurangzeb said the role of the CDA was very important in the matter as it had the approved layout plans for the housing societies.

“The CDA should tell us how much land has been developed without an approved layout plan or a no objection certificate (NOC),” she said.

When contacted, CDA Member Planning Waseem Ahmed Khan said the civic agency would provide all the required information to the ICT administration.

He said societies cannot sell plots without the prior approval of their layout plan.

“In the case of cooperative housing societies, our role is limited to approving the layout plans or issuing an NOC. The ICT administration is supposed to regulate them,” he explained.

Published in Dawn September 10th, 2016