ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday cancelled the layout plan for Park View City, a housing scheme launched by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Aleem Khan.

The housing scheme is spread over 1,067 kanals on Malot Road in Zone IV. It is owned by Mr Khan, his wife and two other individuals.

With its layout plan cancelled, the society has been included in the list of illegal housing schemes in the capital. CDA Regional Planning Deputy Director Abdul Haq Brohi said the layout plan was cancelled because the housing society did not possess land required for an approach road.

He said that according to the plan, the society operator was supposed to have a 100ft wide 3.5 kilometre road from Kurri Road to the society. However, he said, Mr Khan did not pay heed to this requirement despite repeated reminders.

“Instead of a 100ft wide road, the society only has an 18ft access road. Think about what the traffic situation will be when hundreds of houses are built in the society; there would be congestion... That is why we cancelled the layout plan,” another planning wing official said.

Officials said that without a no-objection certificate (NOC) society operators cannot carry out development work, but Park View Society continued to do so despite being served several notices to stop.

In September, the authority had declared the ongoing development at the society unauthorised and warned people from investing in the project. The CDA also published advertisements in national newspapers a few months ago that stated that the housing society in question did not have an NOC from the CDA.

CDA officials said the layout plan for the society was approved by the authority in February 2013, and it was granted an NOC. However, the certificate was cancelled in 2014 because of violations of the layout plan, CDA officials said.

The society operators then filed a case with the Islamabad High Court, and the matter remains in court, but a restraining order has not been issued against the authority.

“Despite out repeated notices, the owner of the society did not stop development work as per our regulations. No society can carry out development work and sell and buy plots without an NOC,” a CDA official who asked not to be named said.

The official said the Islamabad Electric Supply Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines have also been asked not to issue utility connections in the scheme, while the district administration has been asked not to endorse any sale or purchase of plots in the society.

Aleem Khan could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

His personal assistant Fakhar Islam said the society’s project director Faraz Ahmed Chaudhry should be contacted. “We are being politically victimised,” Mr Chaudhry claimed, adding that the matter is already in court, and although the decision has been reserved it could be announced anytime soon.

“Instead of waiting for a court decision, if the CDA has cancelled our layout plan then they have committed contempt of court,” he added.

He also said that the CDA had cancelled the society’s NOC a few years ago on the pretext that the society did not transfer land in the CDA’s name.

“On the direction of the CDA, we transferred the required 67 kanals of land in the CDA’s name, but instead of restoring our NOC the CDA a few months ago changed its regulations, saying societies are bound to have a 100ft wide access road.

Earlier, according to the CDA’s regulations there was no such requirement. Rather, societies were bound to have 100ft wide roads within the society, but not the access road,” he added.

Mr Chaudhry said the CDA had altered its regulations to victimise Mr Khan. “And now you are saying the layout plan is also cancelled; it is political victimisation. We will contest the case in a court of law,” he said, adding that development work in the society was carried out with the court’s permission.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2017