ISLAMABAD, April 9: The enforcement division of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday demolished a kiosk established by Bahria Town in front of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for distribution of food among the patients.

“We have demolished Bahria Ka Dastarkhwan on the orders of the Islamabad High Court,” an official told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

It may be noted that during the PPP government about 300 kiosks were allocated by the civic agency in different parts of the city.

On April 2, the CDA had informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that it had cancelled the licence issued to Bahria Town for running the charity food outlet outside Pims.

When Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui took up identical petitions filed against encroachments, Naveedul Haq, the director of the enforcement wing, said the authority had also cancelled the licence for the establishment of 450 kiosks near Faizabad.

The CDA, on March 27, served notice on the organisers of the charity food programme and gave them a week’s deadline to demolish the illegal structure. The court was assured that if the structure was not razed by April 2, the CDA would demolish it.

The Blue Area plot worth billions of rupees in front of Pims’ main gate had temporarily been handed over to a local journalist in 2009 but he later transferred it to the Bahria Town for the establishment of the food charity.

A number of CDA officials refused to give a statement on record when asked why the kiosk was allotted to the property contracting company during the PPP government.

However, an official in the civic agency said they would soon launch a campaign to take care of such illegal structures, adding a list had also been prepared in this regard.

The official said a police special branch and a sensitive security agency had also pointed out a number of kiosks issued to the PPP jiyalas during the last five years that needed to be demolished as most of them were located close to sensitive buildings.

“According to the security agency and the police special branch, some unwanted people have been seen frequenting these kiosks and they could create security problems in the city,” explained the official.

He said a report on the demolition of the illegal establishments would be submitted to the court this week.

“We will demolish every kiosk which has been allocated in violation of the CDA business rules,” added the official.

Despite repeated attempts, no official of Bahria Town was available to comment on the matter.