ISLAMABAD: In a bid to protect amenities land in housing societies of Islamabad and ensure the implementation of approved layout plans, a joint committee comprising officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and Islamabad district administration has decided to oversee the affairs of private housing schemes.

The committee started its operations on Friday and sought records of housing schemes.

According to sources, several housing schemes have already eaten up the amenities land preserved for public parks, graveyards and green areas.

The new committee, headed by the CDA urban planning director general, will ensure that land allocated for amenities, utilities and public buildings is not used for any other purpose, according to the TORs of the body.

Committee begins work, summons record of housing societies

The committee will also ensure that areas, plots, apartments etc mortgaged with CDA as a guarantee for completion of the development work on time are not allotted to someone else by the sponsors of private housing societies.

The joint body will also ensure full implementation of the approved layout plan and bylaws of CDA in housing schemes.

As per the TORs, the committee will ensure the collection of all the data required for ensuing recoveries, fees, charges, taxes etc from the private housing schemes.

It is relevant to note here that around 40 approved housing schemes have valid No Objection Certificates (NOCs), while around 20 schemes’ NOCs have been cancelled, but their record exists with CDA.

According to sources, there are around 100 illegal housing schemes in various parts of Islamabad, which are operating their businesses without facing any serious resistance from CDA and other departments concerned.

They said many of them have been facing allegations of selling more plot files than original plots.

It is relevant to note here that following the federal cabinet’s decision in August 2021, a committee was established “to advise and develop an effective policy for regularisation of irregular housing schemes” in various zones of Islamabad, but proper focus was not paid to bring the said illegal housing scheme under CDA’s net.

In 2016, two reports compiled by the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice blamed the CDA and the local administration for the mushroom growth of illegal housing schemes and the violation of layout plans by the cooperative housing societies.

The reports, which were adopted by the Senate in 2016 and by the CDA in March 2018, are yet to be implemented.

In one of the reports about the cooperative housing schemes, the Senate recommended that the violations of layout plans committed by housing schemes may be accommodated by amending the regulations.

However, the Senate had directed the civic agencies that no compromise should be made regarding public parks.

After being informed that green areas and amenity plots had been sold out by housing societies, the Senate recommended that any land adjacent to the housing schemes may be bought by owners of housing schemes and utilised for public parks while space for graveyards should be acquired in the vicinities of the societies.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2025