ISLAMABAD: Residents of Model Town Humak requested the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday to take action against alleged land grabbers in the town.

The request was made at an open court conducted by CDA officers here at G-6 hockey ground.

A group of residents of Humak told the officers that billions of rupees CDA’s planned and acquired land in the town had been encroached upon by land grabbers, but the civic body was conspicuous by its silence.

They said the land grabbers had the audacity even to erect a wall to keep their illegal possession on the state land intact.

The open court was conducted by Member Environment Mohammad Waqas Hanif along with Director General (DG) Civic Management Rafia Haider and DG Water Management Sardar Khan Zimiri and others.

The residents said after erecting wall around the CDA land, now the alleged land grabbers were making efforts to encroach upon town’s graveyard as well.

The residents said that this town is CDA’s own approved society and it has CDA’s approved layout plan, which shows area earmarked for graveyard, playground, schools, green area, etc.

Therefore, they said that CDA should make construction to provide amenities to citizens so that land grabbing could be avoided.

“When we resist, land mafia got an FIR registered against us, how powerful the land grabbers are,” one of the residents told the member.

The member planning told the residents to submit their written application and CDA will take action in accordance with law.

Meanwhile, at the sideline of the open court, the residents told Dawn that if CDA is not interested in reclaiming its acquired land worth billions of rupees, then the civic agency should return the land back to locals, instead of leaving it for land grabbers, they said.

In recent years after joint demarcation of the land which pointed out the land belonged to CDA, the civic agency’s enforcement wing twice conducted an operation and demolished the walls at the encroached land site, besides lodging an FIR against the alleged land grabbers. But, now, apparently in alleged connivance of CDA’s officials, the wall has once again been constructed, which raises many questions.

Locals said that the price of land in Model Town Humak, which shares its borders with the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) has been increased manifold in recent years due to mega development in neighboring DHA. They said that increase in value of land made the land grabbers active to encroach upon CDA’s land.

Issues of G-6

Residents of G-6 raised their voice against old rusting sewerage and water pipelines, alleged substandard tiles works carried by CDA last year in markets, long pending trimming of branches of trees and dilapidated conditions of some streets.

They also demanded direct link between Khayaban-i- Suharwardi and 7th Avenue from both sides of the underpass.

The member environment CDA issued directions to his team to resolve issues of sector G-6 as soon as possible while he also promised that CDA would provide link between Khayaban-i- Suharwardi and 7th Avenue.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023