ISLAMABAD: Around 1,400 houses in a slum and 1,000 matured trees could fall victim to the 10th Avenue project as the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) held a public hearing on the grant of approval to the project on Thursday.

During the hearing, it was agreed that a committee comprising officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and representatives of the residents of H-9 Rimsha Colony will be formed to find a solution to the slum which is falling in the right of way of the proposed road.

The CDA is all set to construct the five-kilometre avenue from IJ Principal Road (near Katarian Nullah Leh stop) to Srinagar Highway near the edge of the starting point of G-10 with an interchange at highway and a flyover with ramps on the IJP road. The CDA will, at a later stage, construct the road from Srinagar Highway to Khayban-i-Iqbal/Margalla Road.

Moreover, the road will also be linked with Rawalpindi’s Leh Expressway.

A few months ago, the CDA awarded the contract of the project worth Rs10.2 billion to the National Logistic Cell (NLC). Once started, the project will be completed in 21 months.

l EPA holds public hearing, inhabitants urge CDA for realignment of road l Body formed to find solution to slum falling on road

The public hearing by Pak-EPA was held at Jinnah Convention Centre and attended by stakeholders, including residents of Rimsha Colony along with members of Alliance for Katchi Abadis and Awami Workers’ Party (AWP).

The CDA through a consultant informed the environment body that 925 trees fell in the alignment of the road and these would be transplanted on the other side of the road.

As a mitigation measure, the CDA will also plant 12,500 new trees along the road.

Meanwhile, residents of Rimsha Colony urged the CDA and EPA to recognise them as stakeholders in the project and demanded realignment of the road to save their homes.

Following a presentation by the EPA, residents, activists and members of civil society participated in a question-answer session and voiced concerns on the project and its impact on communities.

A resident of the colony, Waris Masih, said the dwellers had built their homes with their hard-earned money and it would be extremely difficult for them to make ends meet if they were relocated to a place far away from their work places. He called on the project planners to consider realigning the H-9 section of the project to ensure people could continue to keep their homes and livelihoods intact.

In response to an official questioning legality of the colony, Asma Salamat, who lives in the slum, said the working class residents of Rimsha Colony had helped build the city but were declared dwellers illegal when they asked for their rights.

She said the residents of the colony were not opposed to the road being constructed but wanted the recognition of their rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

AWP leader Dr Aasim Sajjad Akhtar said it was ironic that plans had been made for resettling trees and buildings on the way of the road but the residents of a directly affected slum had not even been consulted before starting work on the project.

He said the EIA report simply referred to the slum dwellers as encroachers and made no mention of what would become of their homes, demanding realignment of the road.

AWP’s Alia Amirali and urban planner Ayesha Shahid also spoke.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2022