ISLAMABAD, July 18: The development work on six housing societies have started here at sector E-11 without the approval of Capital Development Authority (CDA), sources told Dawn on Thursday.

A no objection certificate (NOC) is required to launch any housing scheme in Islamabad and these societies have not yet given the NOC by the CDA, the sources said.

“The proprietors of these societies have collected millions of rupees from the innocent people.”

According to the CDA bylaws, a housing society has to pledge 30 per cent of its plots with the authority as a security so that it may complete development work according to the layout approved by the CDA, an official said.

The housing schemes are: National Police Foundation Housing Society, Multi Professionals Cooperative Housing Society, Multi Ahbab Cooperative Housing Society, Services Cooperative Housing Society, Federation of Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Pakistan Medical Cooperative Housing Society.

The CDA’s director lands, Shaista Sohail, said these housing societies were launched in 1991.

She said the land where these schemes were being established did not fall in Zone-II but the CDA had agreed to deal with the societies according to the rules, applied in Zone-II.

According to the rules, at least 1,600 kanals of land is required to establish a society in Zone-II.

However, none of the scheme fulfil the criteria, as the total area of National Police Foundation Housing Scheme is 900 kanals and one of the housing society has only 50 kanals of land.

These housing societies are being established on the land which was earlier donated to the Golra shrine. The CDA had excluded the land from the master plan and fixed it for cultivation purpose so that money acquired by selling crops could be utilised to meet the expenses of the shrine, the sources said.

However, the CDA adopted a new policy and allowed construction on the land in February 2000. Later, the land was purchased for establishing housing societies, the sources added.