Taking over possession of acquired land: CDA finally put its foot down

Islamabad : With each passing day since last Monday (February 11) the hopes of those who were allotted residential plots in the Sector E-12 are soaring as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has finally started the development work on ground after taking over possession of the land acquired back in 1985 to launch development work.

In Sector E-12, measuring over 777.27 acres of land spread over six ‘mauzas’, was acquired back in 1985 and the built up property was acquired in 1987. It is almost 33 years that the local people have enjoyed occupying CDA’s land as well as successfully forcing the Authority to revise compensation amount as well as allotment of number of residential plots and agricultural land many a times.

Like many other areas, which were acquired by the CDA and the compensations against acquisition of land and built up properties were paid, the CDA let the local people keep the possession of the land and built up properties till the time the Authority may decide to start development work.

And when the CDA finally sold plots in such areas after announcing new sectors and tried to take over the physical possession of the land, the people resisted. It was always a physical fight, in which the CDA officials were always beaten because of lack of protection back up by the Islamabad Police.

Within hours of such an incident, which had happened many a times in the past, the local people would approach the court of law and seek ‘stay order’ against CDA, preventing the Authority from making any more move to remove them physically. Meanwhile, the CDA would be rushing to the hospital(s) and police stations to get the injured hospitalised and a case registered!

In the ensuing litigation, coupled with political pressures, the CDA had been eventually succumbing to the unjust demands of local people, enhancing the amount of cash compensation, already paid and also increasing the number of residential plots to be allotted in addition to those already allotted to them at the time of the ‘award’.

According to the CDA records the many times revised cash compensation of land totalled Rs. 35,614,297 out of which Rs29,950,642 has already been distributed and the remaining amount to be paid stands at Rs5,663,655. The compensation against acquisition of built up property was calculated at Rs98,590,785 out of which Rs79,965,461 has been paid and the remaining amount is Rs18,625,323. In addition to the cash compensations against land and built up property acquisition, the CDA has also allotted 1,483 residential plots to the local people in sector D-12 whereas another 452 claims for allotment of residential plots are still lying pending for scrutiny.

In this case of sector E-12, the CDA had allotted or sold plots through open auctions to over 4,430 buyers in 1989 but failed to deliver them because they could not move local landowners from the area to begin development work.

However, in line with the orders issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and, apparently, encouraged by the successful operations to retrieve the land of the Quaid-i-Azam University and some smaller ones in Malpur, Banigala and other areas, the CDA launched operation to take over possession of acquired land and evict the illegal occupants in Mauza Dhrek Mohri, Bhakar Akku, Bakar Fateh Buksh, Bara Dari, Siri Saral and Golra.

A CDA official told ‘The News’ among these Mauzas, Golra Sharif was not acquired as it was exempted by General Ayub in 1960 but remaining ‘mauzas’ were acquired and compensation for land and BUP was paid to affectees by CDA but authority did not take possession of all these ‘mauzas’ due to negligence and ill planning of some CDA officials.

However, this time, it was learnt that the Directorate of Enforcement, along with other concerned Directorates and formations and well supported by the Islamabad Police and the Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) has been able to evict the illegal occupants from acquired land in pockets and the men and machinery has already deployed to start the earth work for development of sector E-12.