A public hearing called by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to review water and sewerage charges was met with a mass boycott by citizens on Wednesday, who contested the authority’s legal right to hold such a proceeding.
The hearing, chaired by DG Water and Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri, was convened at the Convention Center following public notices published in various newspapers. However, upon commencement, attendees expressed strong discontent, arguing that the CDA no longer holds the jurisdictional mandate to perform municipal functions, including the revision of utility fees.
The primary objection raised was based on legislative changes. Citizens, along with speakers including Nasrullah Randhawa, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad, contended that while the CDA previously performed these duties under Section 15A of the CDA Ordinance, this section was omitted following the introduction of the Local Government Act (LGA) 2015. They asserted that municipal functions are now the sole domain of the elected Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).
This position was bolstered by reference to a recent landmark judgment by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court in the case of Basharat Ali vs. CDA. In his ruling, Justice Kayani directed the federal government to wind up the CDA’s municipal operations and transfer these functions to the elected local body.
Concluding his address, Nasrullah Randhawa called upon all present to boycott the hearing as a protest against what was termed an “illegal and unconstitutional exercise of power.” Heeding this call, the entire assembly of citizens walked out of the venue, leaving the public hearing without public participation.
The mass walkout represents a significant challenge to the CDA’s authority and underscores growing public demand for governance through elected local representatives as mandated by law.