Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Thursday declared the ongoing development in the Park View City Housing Scheme unauthorised and warned the general public against investing in it.

The housing scheme, comprising 1,067.9 kanals of land at Malot Road in Zone-IV, is co-owned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Abdul Aleem Khan along with his wife and two others.

The city administration, through an advertisement in national dailies, has declared that the housing society does not have a no objection certificate (NOC). “Consequently, the ongoing development work in the project, its marketing, transfer of plots is completely unauthorised,” it said.

The advertisement further warned the sponsors of the project that the authority would take strict action against them if they did not immediately cease all development work on the site and their marketing campaign.

“The Park View City Housing Scheme lacks the minimum required criteria for access road, which is the main reason for non-issuance of NOC,” Ayub Tariq, the Regional Planning CDA director, said.

“As per the rules, at least a 100 feet wide road is required for granting NOC to any housing scheme that has an area above than 1,000 kanals. However, the said scheme has a less than 20 feet wide access road,” he said.

However, sources within the CDA told Daily Times that the project had been politicised due to the affiliation of its owner with the PTI.

The layout plan of the project was approved by CDA in February 2013 and subsequently an NOC was also granted. However, it was cancelled in November 2014 on the pretext that the owners had not transferred the ownership of the land reserved for public buildings to the CDA.

In response, the sponsors of Park View transferred the required land to the CDA and once again requested the CDA for getting an NOC. However, the CDA continued to delay the matter.

The sponsors of private housing society then approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the case is still pending. However, the court has not issued any restraining order against CDA so far.

When contacted, CDA Planning and Design Member Asad Mehboob Kiani rejected the perception of political victimisation. “The concerned formation recommended the cancelation of layout plan on the grounds that the sponsors continue development work on the site without taking an NOC and selling the plots. However, we did not cancel it and gave them another chance,” he said.

“If they do not stop the work on the ground and marketing of this project, then they will have to face the consequences. We can seal their offices in addition to the cancellation of their layout plan,” he said.

“How can we issue an NOC to a project having only 16 feet wide access road?” he asked.

While responding to the CDA’s public notice, Park View City Scheme Project Director Omer Farooq Manan told Daily Times that they would request for contempt of court proceedings against CDA officials at the next hearing of the case in the IHC.

“We are being politically victimised. We had fulfilled all the requirements, but CDA is using delaying tactics,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, September 1^st 2017.