ISLAMABAD: The city managers on Thursday decided to enhance the construction area of agro farms in the federal capital. The decision seems tailored to help hundreds of influential people who have already converted their agro farmlands into palatial palaces.

The CDA board, which met with Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz in the chair, decided to enhance the covered area from the existing 4,850 square feet to 9,500 feet for 2.5 acre farms subject to approval by the Supreme Court.

The CDA will present its decision to the apex court which is already seized with a case related to farmhouses.

Decision to be presented to Supreme Court for final ruling, says Mayor Anser Aziz

Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken suo motu notice of the misuse of agro farmlands and in 2013 the apex court directed the CDA to restore all the 504 farmhouses to the status of agriculture land.

The land was originally awarded to people displaced by the development of the capital city to rehabilitate them and ensure that they grew agricultural produce such as fruits, vegetables and poultry to meet the need of the capital city.

However, with the passage of time the locals sold out the farmlands to influential people who built palatial houses there.

The owners of farmhouses filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the decision of the former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and a subsequent decision of the CDA to reduce the covered area from 12,000 square feet to 4,850 square feet.

Last year, the apex court referred the case back to the CDA directing it to decide the matter after consulting with the owners.

According to the 2013 records, when the apex court took suo motu the names of several influential people emerged as the owners of palatial farmhouses.

They included former president Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, ex-Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Senator Wasim Sajjad, former Senator Dr Shahzad Waseem, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raja Nadir Pervez and several retired army officers.

The original lease agreement allowed the tenants to raise a single-storey building on a covered area ranging between 2,500 and 4,000 square feet.

But on May 17, 1994, the CDA board passed a resolution legalising the construction of infrastructure on a larger area, up to 10,000 square feet.

Despite the increase, however, the farmhouse owners built infrastructure on area exceeding 12,500 square feet.

The mayor of Islamabad told Dawn that the board decided to enhance the covered area in the interest of the CDA.

“Construction on most of the farmhouses had taken place with the covered area of 10,000 and 12,500 square feet as allowed by the CDA before 2013.

However, after the covered area was reduced from 10,000 to 4,850 in 2013, there has been a standstill as no transfer of farmhouse was allowed which was constructed on an area exceeding 4,850 square feet. Under this scenario, the CDA was losing revenue in the shape of transfer fee.” The mayor said the decision taken by the CDA board on Thursday was not final.

“The board members have reached the conclusion that the covered area should be 9,500 square feet. Now we will present the decision before the Supreme Court which will give a final ruling,” he said.

Meanwhile, the board also approved the layout plan of the ministry of housing’s Sector F-14. Sources in the CDA said the ministry, which was going to develop the sector, had agreed to give 50pc commercial area to the CDA. This means the civic agency will earn over Rs10 billion by selling the commercial area.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017