ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday informed the Public Accounts Committee that there were 795 houses in Islamabad which were in non-conforming use and notices had already been issued to the owners of 750 of them for carrying out commercial activities in residential areas.

A senior CDA official told the committee that the CDA had got vacated 78 houses located in posh localities where beauty parlours, restaurants and guest houses were being run.

Moreover, he said, the CDA had imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the owners of 55 houses for violating the rules. He said the CDA was in the process of getting the remaining houses vacated but the owners had taken the matter to courts. He said the CDA had provided alternative plots to 44 schools set up in the residential areas before 1999. However, he admitted that 255 schools had been established in residential areas after 1999. He said schools were the last priority of the CDA during its ongoing drive.

Syed Qurban Ali Shah of the PPP drew the attention of the CDA chairman, Kamran Lashari, towards increasing encroachments in the capital city. He said the owner of a hotel in Aabpara market had constructed two more floors without seeking prior approval of the CDA. He said it was strange that the Aabpara market was situated only a few yards away from the CDA head office but no one bothered to check the illegal construction.

The PPP MNA referred to a decision of the Supreme Court, in which it had ordered demolition of an illegal building in Lahore and said why the CDA was waiting for the courts to take suo motu action on encroachments.

Mr Lashari said it was good that courts had started giving good decisions. Had the courts given such decisions in the past, the situation could have been different today. He said earlier the courts were generous in granting stay orders to the encroachers.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidery of the MMA raised the issue of the alleged illegal construction of Jamia Hafsa resulting in the bloody military operation. He said why the CDA did not take action when illegal mosques and madressahs were being constructed. He said it was obvious that these buildings were not built overnight.

Maulana Haidery held the CDA responsible for the Jamia Hafsa incident in which several students were killed. It took place because of CDA’s negligence, he added.

The CDA chairman was rescued from this critical question by Ali Akbar Wains, of the PML, who said it was also the responsibility of those ulema who constructed these illegal mosques. He said it was the duty of the person who was constructing the mosque to purchase the land and seek permission from the authorities.

Ashiq Gopang, who was presiding over the meeting in the absence of PAC chairman Malik Allahyar Khan, asked the CDA to make efforts to remove encroachments and take timely action to stop illegal constructions in the city.