ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has issued a notice to Bahria Enclave to vacate 510 kanals of land within a week, a day after a local court dismissed Bahria Town’s application seeking a stay against the demarcation of the disputed land.

An official statement issued by the authority on Friday stated: “CDA issued notice under section 49-c of CDA Ordinance, 1960 to M/s Bahria Enclave, Islamabad to hand over possession of the identified land measuring 510 kanal and 6 marlas to CDA.”

It said that demarcation of land in the Kuri revenue estate on Sept 12 had found that the administration of Bahria Enclave encroached on 510 kanals and six marlas of land acquired by the CDA and built illegal structures there.

Notice issued a day after a local court dismissed Bahria Town’s application for a stay against demarcation of land

The CDA has also directed the developer to remove the illegal structures within a week of receiving the notice.

“In case of noncompliance of the notice CDA shall take possession of the said land and demolish all the illegal structures built there upon at their own risk and cost,” the statement warned.

A local court dismissed an application filed by Bahria Town on Thursday that sought a stay order against demarcation carried out by the capital administration of land allegedly encroached upon by Bahria Enclave in the Kuri revenue estate.

The demarcation report had revealed that Bahria Enclave built commercial buildings, a park, residences and a grid station on CDA land.

In September, the housing society submitted an outdated layout plan in court that the CDA had cancelled in 2013 and obtained a stay order.

Officials from the CDA told Dawn that the first demarcation was carried out on Sept 12 to ascertain the boundary line between the acquired Kuri revenue estate and the Morian revenue estate, which identified encroachment by Bahria Enclave on land acquired by the CDA in Kuri.

However, after objections and a subsequent request from Bahria Enclave over 48 kanals out of the total encroached-upon land, demarcation was carried out again on Sept 29.

The outcome of the second demarcation was identical to the first, conducted by ICT revenue officers in the presence of CDA staff.

The CDA’s notice said: “Therefore, encroachment and illegal construction of building on 510 kanals and 6 marlas of CDA acquired land in revenue estate Kuri by Bahria has been proved beyond any doubt.”

CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali said the CDA has given Bahria Enclave seven days in its notice.

He added: “In case of non-compliance, we will state a mega anti-encroachment operation as we are duty bound to protect state land.”

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi had previously announced that anti-encroachment operations would be carried out across the board, and the first phase would target big and powerful encroachers. The CDA has conducted various operations in Islamabad under his supervision to retrieve state land.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2018