ISLAMABAD: A private housing society has been accused of carrying out illegal construction on the ‘right-of-way’ of Soan River and on park land.

According to Capital Development Authority’s documents, a major housing society, in violation of its approved layout plan, has been making high-rise commercial buildings on the right-of-way of Soan River.

They said as per the approved layout plan, the place where plazas were being constructed was meant for a park and was the right-of-way of Soan River.

Sources in the authority’s Enforcement Wing told Dawn that recently, the Planning Wing wrote a letter to it seeking action to stop unauthorised construction, fearing urban flooding, “especially in the context of flooding in E-11 in 2021 and floods in tourist sites Bahrain and Kalam last year”.

Officials said that they received a letter, which pointed out that in compliance of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directive, a team of CDA visited the said society earlier this month and pointed out around 20 commercial building stands constructed and about five commercial buildings were under construction on land earmarked for bed of the river and linear park, in violation of the layout plan of the said society approved in 2010 by CDA.

CDA officials also showed the approved layout plan in which the area in question was reserved for park and right of way of the river, but now many plazas have been constructed there and several are under construction.

They said that google image of the site is also self-explanatory.

The Planning Wing also asked the Building Control Directorate and Environment Wing to initiate action against the said society. Whereas, the said society was also issued a notice (copy of which is available with Dawn).

Though, the letters were issued on Jan 5 and no action was taken, however, there are reports that CDA has been facing pressure from certain quarters not to take action against the said society and rather, there are even some reports which state that indirect action may be taken against those “daring” officials, who had pointed out the said violations.

“Instead of giving them appreciation letters, some officials will likely face the fallout of doing their jobs in the right manner,” said a source.

When contacted, CDA’s spokesperson Syed Asif Raza confirmed to Dawn that the notices have been served, adding that the civic body had recently issued notices to a number of societies including the one in question.

When asked about making some officials scapegoat, he said: “There is no truth in such reports. Those who are doing the right job are our assets. Secondly, we treat all societies equally; all violators are violators.”

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023