ISLAMABAD: Taking stern notice of the mushroom growth of kiosks, encroachment of verandas and footpaths in busy commercial centres in the federal capital, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Raja Pervez Asharf has directed the NA’s standing committee on interior to retake a pending calling attention notice on the matter to decide how to tackle the problem.

The speaker took action in light of the recent incident of thrashing of a family by workers of some food kiosks in the busy F-7 Markaz commercial centre on the eve of Eid.

“The speaker has also asked head of the committee to discuss the matter and find out the best possible ways to control misuse of state land,” a senior official of the National Assembly Secretariat (NAS) told Dawn on Tuesday.

The calling attention notice moved by Member of National Assembly (MNA) Asiya Azeem in October last year said: “To invite attention of the minister for interior to matter of urgent public importance regarding illegal shops and carts in the commercial centres of Islamabad, causing grave concern amongst the public.”

Says state land must not be misused

According to a media report, Minister of State for Interior Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju had replied to the notice and asked the speaker to refer the notice to the committee so that detailed discussions could be made on it.

Following the request of the minister and consent of the mover, Asiya Azeem, (PTI), the notice had been forwarded to the committee.

It is worth mentioning here that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to auction 300 kiosks in different parts of Islamabad and recently city managers gave an advertisement in national dailies inviting bids for purpose.

However, experts on civic issues believe that the city does not need more kiosks because it had become crowded.

“The CDA’s plan will be misused as when the auction will take place no poor or deserving man will be

able to compete in the auction and all 300 kiosks will be grabbed by rich and well off people,” a retired CDA official said.

Despite conducting a number of operations against encroachments and grabbing of state land, the CDA has so far failed to control growing encroachments in Islamabad which are challenging the writ of CDA.

Some of the main commercial centres where abundance of illegal kiosks and encroachment can be seen include Jinnah Super Market, Super Market, F-8 Markaz in the vicinity of district courts, F-10 Markaz, Karachi Company Market, Aabpara Market, F-11 Markaz, G-8 Markaz, I-9 and I-10 I&T centres.

People have complained that due to encroachments of footpaths and verandas in major markets, they could not move easily.

These areas have been encroached by small vendors and food outlets. “The owners of food stalls have also encroached green areas and green belts in markets and behave as if they own these places and not the state,” said a customer Rehan Ahmed in F-7.

Unchecked encroachment in under-developed sectors is said to be the main reason behind their non development.

Fast growing encroachments in Mehrabad Village where two sectors G-12 and F-12 are to be developed is evidence of poor vigilance of the CDA staff that has failed to stop such activities there.

Now, these two sectors are considered the most difficult to acquire, where hundreds of houses and huge industrial units have been constructed illegally.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023