ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has un-sealed the offices of an ‘illegal’ housing scheme, Ghouri Town, where a ban on utility connections has also been imposed.
The CDA unsealed the offices after receiving an undertaking from the operators of the housing scheme, which is spread over hundreds of kanals and is divided into various phases, from phase I through to four, phase VII and Ghouri Garden West.
CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kayani defended the decision saying that after it submitted the affidavit, the housing society is now bound to stop the sale purchase of plots till its layout plans are approved and it gets a no-objection certificate from the CDA.
“We only allowed them to open their offices, they cannot make sale purchase deals and new construction is completely banned in the society,” he said, adding that in light of a Senate report, the CDA will come up with a solution in the coming days for providing utility connections to the society’s residents.
Ghouri Town allowed to open offices after it submitted undertaking to provide required documents in 90 days
Ghouri Town was developed during the last 15 years, during which the CDA did not make an effort to stop the illegal development. However, the civic agency sealed the society’s offices on June 23, only to unseal them a few weeks later. According to sources, several local politicians also pressurised the CDA to let the society open its offices without submitting an affidavit.
The undertaking that the owner of the society, Raja Ali Akbar, has submitted, says the society will submit documents for obtaining an NOC in 90 days.
“No [housing] society could have operated in Islamabad if our officers were not involved in the activity. For 15 years, the society’s operators have openly marked and sold hundreds of plots,” an official of the planning wing said.
The official said that some CDA officers gave operators of Ghouri Town advice when it was selling a large number of plots a few years ago. He also blamed citizens for buying plots in an illegal housing society.
“I don’t think the undertaking will work. The CDA should have registered cases against the society management instead of unsealing their offices,” he said.
On the other hand, those who have purchased plots and houses in the housing scheme are facing problems with obtaining utility connections which are being denied to them due to the CDA’s request.
These include the installation of new electricity metres and Sui gas connections. Like many other illegal housing societies, residents of Ghouri Town also do not have all amenities such as a graveyard, school, green areas and play ground, which are a pre-requisite for a housing society.
A group of residents of the society on Monday visited the CDA to register their protest.
“What is our fault, where should we go? The illegal housing society was launched in connivance with the CDA and when hundreds of houses have been built, the CDA now decides it does not want electricity and gas connections in the society,” said a resident, Mohammad Amin.
“When I purchased my plot a few years ago, the society management told me there is a reserved place for a graveyard, schools and a post office. We are now also being denied utility connections,” said Mumtaz Gul.
A number of the residents also met with CDA’s member planning to ask why the society’s offices were re-opened.
They were told that the society management had submitted an undertaking and that the society will be submitting the requisite documents in 90 days. These also include provisions and layout plans for amenity plots etc.
Another official of the planning wing said a mafia is behind the over 100 illegal housing schemes.
“We just closed down the offices of one of the illegal housing societies and we received tremendous pressure from all sides, particularly from politicians and ultimately, we had to re-open them after getting an undertaking,” the official said, adding that it seems unlikely the owner will adhere to the written undertaking. In that case, he said, the CDA will go to court against the society.
The owner of the society, Raja Ali Akbar told Dawn his society will complete all legal formalities to get an NOC from the civic agency.
Meanwhile, in a meeting of its board on Monday, the CDA approved stricter criteria for dealing with housing societies.
Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2017
