Demolition of Katchi Abadi
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday hinted at asking the Accountant General of Pakistan (AGP) to halt the salaries of the prime minister and chief ministers of the provinces if its orders were not implemented in letter and spirit.
A two-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, heard Pakistan Workers Party plea challenging the CDA action to demolish the I-10 Sector Islamabad katchi abadi.
Justice Dost Mohammad Khan expressed dismay over the federal and provincial governments for non-observance of the apex court’s earlier orders regarding budgetary allocation and taking legislative measures for low-income housing schemes and regularisation of slums.
During the hearing, Law & Justice Commission Secretary Sarwar Khan, being the focal person, apprised the court that most of the time representatives of federal and provincial governments paid no heed to attend the meetings on the issue pertaining to formulating polices for the people living in slum areas.
At this, Justice Dost Muhammad Khan remarked that the court should not be forced to stop the salaries of the prime minister and chief ministers of the provinces.
“If orders of the court were treated in such a manner, then they will ask the Accountant General of Pakistan to stop the salaries of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers,” Justice Dost Mohammad Khan remarked, adding that bureaucrats, judges and high officials were being given plots of one Kanal, and influential people used to go abroad for medical check-up while here the poor people were being deprived of houses and the worst human right violations were being committed.
“The government itself is not interested to get hold of qabza mafia and wants corruption to continue and in the garb of providing houses to the homeless people, the authorities concerned use to accommodate their own near and dear ones,” Justice Dost Mohammad Khan remarked.
The court directed the federal secretary of housing and works, secretary climate change, all the relevant provincial secretaries and the CDA members planning and finance to attend the meetings in future. The court stressed that the federal and provincial secretaries of relevant departments must ensure attendance in the meetings, saying failing which shall tend the court to stop their salaries and allotment of plots to the elites. The bench categorically asked the secretary law & justice to inform the judges about development on the issue in chamber.
The bench also asked the concerned branch to send copy of the order to all chief secretaries and chairman, CDA, for compliance of its earlier orders, wherein certain guidelines were given for the formulation of policies on low cost housing schemes as well as slums.
The court issued directives to the federal and provincial governments along with Capital Development Authority (CDA) to chalk out policies for low cost and social housing schemes, rehabilitation of slums and construction of social centres for homeless in the country. The court observed that despite the passage of one year, no visible progress has been made due to the lackluster performance of bureaucracy.
Counsel for the CDA, Munir Paracha, told the court that those slums areas were demolished in the capital that were constructed after August 26, 2015. He said that the occupants used to sell their houses and later get hold on other place adding that if this process was allowed, then the capital will get so short.
Justice Tariq Masood, another member of the bench, however, observed that a mafia has occupied the state land which now turned into a business as well. He questioned as to whether the civic body was sleeping when in some slum areas, Afghans and terrorists arrived and had been living there.
Meanwhile, the court gave the last chance to the federal and provincial governments for resolving the problems of provision of houses to the homeless people after making amendments to the relevant laws with the ruling that if the issue was not seriously resolved, than construction on plots allotted to the elite class will be halted. The court also directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to carry out a comprehensive mapping exercise of the capital city, with the assistance of Nadra as it will be helpful to identify the UN-demarcated open lands and katchi abadis that are illegally occupied by unscrupulous elements.
The court also directed the authorities to seek approval by filing a CMA regarding demolishing of new slums. Later, the court adjourned the hearing for two months. Hearing of the matter was adjourned for two months.
