Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Zaheeruddin Babar Awan on Tuesday directed the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, Capital Development Authority (CDA) and city police to follow zero tolerance policy against the land mafia in the federal capital and restore the occupied state land and green areas as soon as possible.

Chairing a meeting, he directed to identify all occupied land including playgrounds, parks, green areas, commercial and resident plots in the federal capital rural and urban areas, and submit a detailed report in the next meeting to be held tomorrow (Thursday).

“Illegal constructions have been made on the land worth of trillions of rupees which must be restored for the socioeconomic development of people living in ICT,” Zaheeruddin Babar Awan said adding that this is an organised and syndicated crime that needed to be stopped immediately.

He said there were clear directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan that no negligence would be tolerated in discharging professional duties.

“Everyone including myself will be held accountable and no one would be spared,” he said, assuring that all due respect would be given to dutiful officers.

He said strict action must be taken to clear all occupied areas without any discrimination by issuing short notices to the occupants.

He proposed that this campaign should be named Green Initiative Drive under which an awareness campaign would be run on wide scale before taking practical action to clear the occupied areas.

He said two to three new parks and playgrounds could be built in the ICT by clearing the occupation on public parks in the federal area.

Babar Awan also directed to immediately relocate the small shops, restaurants, marriage halls, religious buildings, and commercial buildings built illegally on the state land.

The adviser was informed that there were illegal constructions on the state land in F-12 and G-12 sectors which is of high value.

Awan directed to negotiate with the residents of the buildings in these sectors and set a formula to relocate them.

He said the prime minister was taking special interest in the development of the federal capital and he was very much concerned with the illegal construction on the state land.

He said the PM’s directions were strait forward and he was not even willing to extend the time line given to the authorities for fulfilling their duties, however any type of support they need would be provided.

“You are making history by changing the fate of the federal capital to make it more developed, green, and free from land mafia,” he told the officers of ICT administration, CDA and Islamabad police. He said in order to safeguard the environment of the ICT, all green areas would be fully protected.

He also asked the concerned authorities to identify the places for tree plantation in the federal capital under the government’s 10 billion tree plantation drive.

The meeting was also attended by Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Tahir Raza Naqvi, ICT Chief Commissioner Jaudat Ayaz, CDA Chairman Ishrat Ali and other high officials from city police, ICT administration and CDA.

Published in Daily Times, August 22^nd 2018.