Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The city managers are reluctant to approve a policy purposing allocation of mosque plots to original inhabitants instead of strangers.

In routine practice, when old dwellers evacuate any area in result of acquisition by Capital Develop-ment Authority (CDA), the new allottees start living in sectoral areas developed on the same acquired land. Generally, during this transitional phase, the plots meant for mosque are occupied by the outsiders even before growth of any population in the area. These occupant of mosque plots are mostly strangers as they are neither old inhabitants nor new allotees.

There is no command and control of local people in the administration of such mosque as when they construct their houses, a mosque is already built up by somebody else in the same locality. Forceful occupation of mosque plots in underdeveloped sectors is no secret anymore. Every sect is in a hurry to grab the maximum plots so there are temporary structures present even in those sectors, where not a single sign is available in the name of development.

The occupation of plots for mosque is also being facilitated by some foreign elements by providing funding on sectarian grounds, which is a question for our law enforcement agencies as no watchdog is available to ask them that how such huge buildings are being constructed without local funding.

The Directorate of Urban Planning CDA has recently purposed a policy for the allotment and regularisation of mosque plots to end the monopoly of stranger elements, but the same was filed to become an agenda in the previous meetings.

Currently, there are four types of mosques in Islamabad: legal mosques which are constructed on approved sites and their possession is handed over to the management committee through the proper channel, unauthorised mosque which are constructed on approved sites but without permission, ilegal mosques which are constructed on unapproved sites without permission and old mosques which existed in old villages before the acquisition by CDA.

The policy suggested that after the growth of sufficient population, the planned site should be allotted to the management committee comprising of allottees or permanent residents of the area constituted or recommended by the Auqaf Directorate ICT.

The policy further suggested that the unauthorised mosques should also be regularised on the same formula, but on case to case basis.

Another point, which appears hard to implement is that the structures of illegal mosques may be removed with the assistance of the ICT and no alternative site for illegal mosques will be planned.

In case of old mosques, the present structure of the mosque may be retained uptil development as per layout plan of the area. A NOC may be issued for installation of service connections but same would not be used to claim any right or regularisation.

The policy also suggested to allot new mosque sites keeping in view the need of the locality on unutilised land of the CDA and it will be disposed of on the same formula given above. Furthermore, the policy asked to allow ground plus floor structure for mosques as currently ground plus mezzanine floors are allowed.

The aforementioned points of the policy are to fix the problems in already planned sector however the policy also proposes for future that the authority should itself build mosques and then hand over them to management committees through the Auqaf Directo-rate as it was decided in the case of park enclave.

The Mayor of Islamabad and Chairman CDA Shaikh Ansar Aziz while talking to Daily Times said: “We are deliberating on some points of the said policy and soon it will be tabled in the board meeting for approval.”

He said further: “All mosque plots will be disposed of as per rules and regulations and no irregularity would be tolerated.”