ISLAMABAD: The city managers have decided to make changes to the regulations of Zone IV of the federal capital, which will be beneficial for several illegal housing societies.

A summary of the changes in the regulations has been lined up for a meeting of the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) board and if approved, the civic authority will move it to the federal cabinet for approval through the Capital Administration and Development Division .

Under the existing zoning regulations of the CDA, private housing societies cannot operate in sub-zone C of Zone IV.

However, according to sources, several housing societies have already been established in this sub-zone on un-acquired land and their status is still illegal due to the zoning bar.

Private societies have been established in Zone IV, sub-zone C where they are banned

The CDA officials Dawn spoke to said that the federal cabinet of 2010 was told that the CDA wanted to get approval for allowing private housing societies on un-acquired land as well as government schemes for acquired land in sub-zone C.

However, when cabinet notified its decision, it said only government-run societies are allowed in sub-zone C.

“This was in contradiction of our presentation,” a CDA official said, adding that this was apparently a clerical error on part of the cabinet but CDA officials had at that time not pleaded for a corrigendum.

Nonetheless, several private schemes have been established in the sub-zone. There are a total of 64 illegal housing schemes in Zone IV and around a dozen illegal schemes in sub-zone C.

The issue of private housing schemes in sub-zone C has been frequently taken up in a sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat where Senator Kalsoom Parveen said not allowing private housing schemes in the sub-zone is discrimination and that private individuals hold more land than the government there.

The committee recently recommended that CDA change its regulations so private housing schemes can get the civic agency’s approval in the sub-zone.

Senator Parveen in one of the committee meetings said CDA’s own housing scheme, Park Enclave, is operating in sub-zone C but the private societies which have been established on un-acquired land and which are meeting requirements, are not allowed only due to zoning regulations bar.

When asked, CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kayani said the regional planning directorate has prepared a summary for the board meeting in this regard.

“A sub-committee of the Senate has been taking up this issue during the last few months and the CDA also thinks there should be no bar on private housing schemes on un-acquired land, so we pleaded that private schemes should be allowed in sub-zone C of Zone IV,” he said.

“We also cited the presentation made to the federal cabinet [in 2010] in the summary made for the board as well as the subsequent notification of the board,” he said.

Asked if the move was being made to benefit a property tycoon, he said: “Not at all. We think there is a lacuna in our policy which we are going to rectify”.

He added that in case the federal cabinet approves the changes, then only those housing schemes which fulfil the requirements- such as approach roads, un-disputed land, land reserved for green areas and amenities such as schools and mosques- will be issued a no-objection certificate by the CDA.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2018