ISLAMABAD: The same day that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on an appeal filed by more than 120 khokha (kiosk) owners against demolitions by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the chairman of the CDA presented the interior minister with proposed locations for planned kiosk spaces in the capital.

During a meeting chaired by Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Ahmad Shah, CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed proposed 12 urban and seven rural locations for kiosks.

According to a statement issued by the ministry after the meeting, Mr Shah said areas should be identified in every sector for kiosks, with “a minimum of one and maximum depending upon the requirement of people”.

IHC reserves judgement on intra-court appeal filed by owners

The meeting was also attended by local MNAs, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza, representatives of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad and interior ministry officials.

The main areas identified for such spaces include Park Road near the Rawal Dam Bridge, Park Road opposite Shahzad Town, Taramari Chowk, Bhara Kahu Murree Road, Khanna Bridge, Chamber Road in Rawat, opposite Blue Area in G-7/1, near Iqbal Hall in G-7/3, Blue Area near the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in G-8/3, opposite the Markaz in G-9/2, nearthe sewerage treatment plantin I-9/1, opposite the Markaz in F-10/3 and opposite the Markaz in F-11/2.

It was also proposed at the meeting that there should be a unified template for kiosk designs across the city. Participants unanimously agreed on the identified locations and also proposed a site near Polyclinic.

The officials will meet again around the middle of August where the execution plan for this proposal will be finalised.

There are more than 450 kiosks in the capital that were cancelled by the MCI’s Directorate of Municipal Administration. The MCI and CDA have demolished a number of kiosks after declaring them to be illegal.

Sources said the committee that proposed the aforementioned sites for kiosks was formed after affected khokha owners approached the interior ministry and said the MCI and CDA were depriving them of their business.

Sources said the committee was formed on directives from the interior minister. The CDA will develop the kiosks and the MCI will allot them to small vendors.

Also on Thursday, the IHC reserved its decision on the intra-court appeal filed by khokha owners against the demolitions.

The case was heard by a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.

Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz appeared before the court and said that the administration granted licences to operate khokhas decades ago because there were no shops in the capital’s sectors and sub-sectors.

He said there were more than 2,000 illegal khokhas in the capital at present, and licenses to establish more than 400 were issued in the last few decades.

He claimed that instead of poor residents, influential individuals and even former ministers had obtained licenses to set up small kiosks and then occupied nearby land that caused billions of rupees in losses to the exchequer.

He said the MCI cancelled the licenses of khokhas but then offered to revive 220 khokhas on certain conditions, which khokha owners did not accept.

The counsel for the appellant argued before the court that khokhas serve free water, affordable food and shade to the poorest of the city’s residents and are integral to the fabric of the capital.

Referring to the deaths of more than 1,000 people in Karachi during a heat wave because victims could not access shade and water, the counsel said the demolition of all of the city’s khokhas would not just damage people’s livelihoods but could also endanger the right to life.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2019