Cabinet to take up handover of E-11 to CDA tomorrow

Islamabad : The Federal Cabinet is likely to take up a summary from the Ministry of Interior at its meeting tomorrow (Tuesday), enabling the Capital Development Authority to take over Sector E-11.

The official sources said that the CDA moved a summary to the Ministry of Interior which would be taken up by the Federal Cabinet as an ex-agenda item at its next meeting on Tuesday.

“Once okayed by the Federal Cabinet, a Presidential Order would be issued to allow the CDA to take over the whole Sector E-11 and enforce its regulations and building bye-laws,” the official sources.

The objectives of the summary would be achieved by revoking Presidential orders of the then President Ayub Khan which exempted Sector E-11 from acquisition apparently due to the presence of Golra Sharif shrine.

Later, General Ziaul Haque also passed an order further changing status of the land of Sector E-11 and that too made it a no-go area for the CDA people and resulted in the growth of encroachments, illegal growth of commercial and residential buildings.

There is also the issue of land swaps from local landholders allowed by the law that was introduced by General Zia in 1983. Later, some regulations were made by the CDA which catered and fuelled the emergence of high-rise buildings.

Taking advantage of the status of the land, the private housing societies started emerging on the map of Islamabad in the 1990s and the worst growth was undertaken in the last 10 to 15 years.

The sources said that decision to avoid any flash flood situation in Sector E-11 in principle was taken during a meeting between the Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and the CDA Chairman Amer Ahmed Ali after flood water coming from a nullah inundated a street of Medical Housing society, drowning a mother and her child.

The management and sponsors of all the five housing societies would bear expenses for the hydrological survey, widening roads and streets by removing encroachments and compensations whatsoever. “The Islamabad Capital Territory administration and Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan have been requested to provide legal cover in the matter so that it becomes binding on sponsors of the housing schemes,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the CDA administration has taken stern notice of illegal constructions and violations of building by-laws in Sector E-11.

The management of Capital Development Authority has issued show-cause notices to the owners of private housing societies located in Sector E-11 for violating building bye-laws and allowing illegal constructions.

In addition, seal and show cause notices were issued to 18 residential and commercial buildings in Sector E-11 for illegal constructions and violation of building bye-laws. CDA has been conducting operations against illegal encroachments in the federal capital for several months and billions of rupees of government land has been recovered.

In addition, the CDA administration has registered an FIR against the owners of private housing societies including Fortune Empire, FECHS, PECHS at Golra Police Station. During the construction of the basements, no safety measures were taken by the owners and developers to deal with any emergency.