Islamabad:A planned changed in the original layout plan of a housing scheme for the Federal Government officers at Kurri Road with creation of new residential plots, has caused concerns among residents who fear the move once implemented would have adverse impacts on green character of the scheme.
The residents and allottees of the housing scheme, mostly retired senior bureaucrats, have appealed to the prime minister to stop the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF) from creating new plots in the scheme.
The sources in CDA and PHAF said that once the original layout plan is revised, there would be creation of over 20 more residential plots in the housing scheme. The residents fear that creation of new plots with change in the original layout plan would have adverse impacts on the green character and healthy environment of the housing scheme which was launched for the Federal Government officers of BPS-20 to 22 in 2012.
“We strongly object to the creation of additional plots or houses on land reserved for greenbelts and public parks by the PHAF itself,” the residents said. They feel that such a step would be violation of environment laws and against rights of existing residents. “This plan is also against Prime Minister’s slogan, ‘One daughter one shajr’, they said.
The PHA management, earlier this month had referred the case to the Planning Wing of CDA for the revised layout plan. The planning wing of CDA while agreeing with the proposal placed a public notice on CDA’s website inviting objections from residents and members on the revised layout plan.
According to the public notice which appeared on August 11, the PHA Foundation also plans to relocate 13 residential plots. A similar attempt to create more residential plots in the same housing scheme was made in 2018 but then the members of scheme raised the issue with the Wafaqi Mohtasib and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and as a result the plan was shelved.
The residents added that in 2018, a plan was chalked out by then PHAF management to create 40 additional plots on the greenbelt and space meant for graveyard, parks and playgrounds and now again the incumbent management is indulging in violation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as okayed by the Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA).
CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa, when approached, said that rest assure there would be no violation of CDA bylaws. “CDA bylaws will be implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.
Managing Director of PHAF, Shahid Hussain when contacted by ' The News ' said they have planned changes in the layout plan of the housing scheme with the purpose to address issue of encroached land. He said the change in layout plan would also help in accommodating more Federal Government officers in the housing scheme. However, he added that there would be no violation of CDA bylaws, saying that green area in the housing scheme was still more than what is permitted in laws.
He alleged that some residents have encroached land in setback of their houses for their own use. He said that the PHAF requested the CDA's enforcement wing to address the issue, but they did not act. “As we attempted to retrieve the encroached land, we faced resistance from the residents,” he said.
