ISLAMABAD: Around 1,000 dwellers of katchi abadis and civil society activists protesting against the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s plan to demolish 12 slums in the city were on Thursday told that the operation scheduled to start on March 24 will not be postponed at any cost.

The slum dwellers and others staged a sit-in outside the CDA head offices against the planned operation on Thursday.

The representatives of the protesters later held a meeting with the management of the civic agency. However, during the meeting they were categorically told that the operation to demolish the slums would be launched as planned.

According to the CDA plan, the tentative date for the operation in I-11/1 (Afghan Basti) and Benazir Colony (I-11/4) is March 24. The operation in these sectors will continue till April 2.

On April 3, the operation will be carried out in Dhobi Ghat Colony (G-6/2). The Christian Colony at Sector H-9 will be demolished on April 7 and the Shopper Colony at G-7 Markaz on April 9. The encroachments will be removed from Maskeen Colony, G-8/4, (near Street 32) between April 14 and 16. A similar operation will be launched in Muzaffar Colony (H-11/4) on April 17. On April 24, encroachments will be removed from the greenbelts of Sector I-12 and H-12.

On April 28, all the encroachments will be demolished in the Christian Colony, G-6/1-4. A 10-day operation, starting on April 30, will be carried out against encroachments at the Bari Imam katchi abadi.

The participants of the sit-in, including women and children, chanted slogans against the management of the CDA and said they would not vacate their houses unless they were given alternative plots. The sit-in continued for around three hours.

The representatives of the protesters, including the Katchi Abadi Alliance, wanted to meet the CDA chairman to discuss the matter. However, as the chairman was not available, they were asked to meet Member Estate Shaista Sohail.

A participant of the meeting told Dawn that Ms Sohail told the delegation that the civic agency had taken the decision to remove the slums. She said the operation would start on March 24, adding it was the duty of the CDA to clean the city of encroachments.

Addressing the participants of the sit-in after the meeting, Awami Workers Party (AWP) Punjab president Dr Aasim Sajjad said the CDA had refused to withdraw its decision to bulldoze the 12 katchi abadis.

“The CDA, ICT administration and elected politicians of Islamabad have proven that they have no interest in warding off a confrontation between the katchi abadi dwellers and the government,” he maintained.

The Alliance for Katchi Abadi leaders, including Fazal Shah, Muzaffar Khan, Chaudhry James and Bushra Masih said the only crime of the slum dwellers was that they were poor and had little political voice.

Meanwhile, CDA officials reached I-11 slum on Thursday and told the dwellers to vacate the area as early as possible. They also handed the dwellers notices which stated that they should leave from the area before March 24.

Mufti Abdullah, a dweller of the katchi abadi, while talking to Dawn said the announcement had created panic in the slum.

“Children and women are scared and they continued asking each other what will happen. However, the dwellers have decided that they will not compromise on their rights. If the CDA wants to demolish the slum, it should allot alternative plots to the dwellers,” he said.