ISLAMABAD: The commission formed by the government to revise the capital’s master plan has connected a proposal to limit Zone III of Islamabad to the Margalla Hills National Park to a study to be carried out by a consultant.

Capital Development Authority (CDA) spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali told Dawn that the authority has finalised a summary to hire a consultant. It will likely be sent to the Planning Commission to be vetted on Thursday, he said.

Advertisements to hire the services of a consultant will be issued once vetting is complete.

Sources said that the commission had discussed confining Zone III to the Margalla Hills before it finalised its interim report, which was presented in cabinet last month.

But the commission did not propose any change to the zone and instead left the matter up to the consultant, the sources said.

In its interim report, commission to revise master plan did not recommend changes to zoning regulations

Islamabad comprises five zones, and Zone III consists of 50,393 acres of land. This includes the Margalla Hills National Park as well as 17,000 acres of land that is privately owned. Shah Allah Ditta, Lakhwal, Banigala, Saidpur, Kot Hathial, Sangjani and everything within a two kilometre radius of Rawal Dam is part of Zone III.

According to the CDA’s zoning regulations, construction cannot take place in this zone even on privately owned land. However, a significant amount of construction in this area has already taken place.

The commission formed by the government last December prepared an interim report after a series of meetings, which was approved by the cabinet in November. This report did not propose any changes to zoning regulations, but was restricted mainly to building by-laws.

Sources said that the confinement of Zone III to the Margallas was discussed in some detail by the commission, which decided the matter would be placed before the consultant that the CDA will hire for a comprehensive revision of the master plan.

Under CDA regulations, no construction can take place in Zone III. However, in the absence of regulatory checks thousands of buildings and houses have been built there.

The CDA has imposed a ban on new construction on private land in this area for the last few years, but this has created problems for people who have already managed to build homes on their own land but cannot obtain utility connections because the authority has connected new utility connections to its no-objection certificate.

Sources said unauthorised construction has been taking place because it is difficult for the CDA to stop people from building on their own land.

When contacted, CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed told Dawn that the commission did not recommend changing zoning regulations in its interim report, including changes to zoning in Zone III.

“Although we discussed this issue, we did not recommend any change. Now it is up to the consultant to look into it. If the consultant thinks change is needed, the consultant will do it,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2019