ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday said the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA), being run by Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), had no right to grant permission for right of way of roads to various services.

Through an official letter to DMA, CDAdirector resource Saira Khan said that granting permission for right of way of roads for installation of base transceiver station (BTS) towers, laying of TV and fiber cables was not the mandate of the DMA.

In her letter, she also pointed out that recently DMA through a public notice has invited stakeholders for public hearing to revise rate for installation of BTS, laying TV and fiber cables.

“It has come to our notice that this matter falls outside the purview of your office. Consequently, we kindly request you to withdraw the notice to prevent any potential jurisdiction conflict,” read the letter.

It added: “ We understand that publication of this notice may have been an oversight and believe that you will take necessary step to rectify the situation promptly. It is imperative to ensure that all matters are handled within the appropriate legal and administrative framework to avoid any confusion or complication,” read the letter.

When contacted, deputy director general Resource Shafi Marwat confirmed to Dawn that the letter had been sent to the DMA. He said that CDA’s land can’t be used for any purpose without the CDA’s approval.

“Actually, we know where is our service corridor and our planning wing is main department to deal with such issues. During expansion of our roads, we face issues and litigation with service providers, when we ask them to shift service lines and sometimes CDA had to face financial loss in this process,” he said.

“Let me make it clear, CDA and MCI/DMA both are government-run organisations and we are enjoying good working relations. Through this letter, we have informed them about legal position and mandate of CDA,” he said and dispelled the impression of any tussle between both the organisations.

However, CDA says that DMA has no mandate to issue NOC for installation of any service on CDA’s land.

When contacted, an officer of DMA said that he had no knowledge about the letter in question.

“At the moment, I can’t say anything about the letter you are referring to, as I have not seen it. As far as issue of BTS tower and other cables etc charges is concerned, DMA has been dealing with it for years. So nothing is new,” he said and added that the public notice in question is about revision of rates. “We deal these issues in accordance with our years-old policy,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024