Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Instead of protecting the edges of drains in the capital city, the city managers are themselves going to sell 17 plots, created on the edges of drains by filling the land in ‘F’ series. The auction of these plots can create hurdles in the smooth flow of drains in the area.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has published an advertisement in a national newspaper regarding the auction of 17 plots in ‘F’ series, which includes 10 plots in F-7 Sector, 4 plots in F-8 Sector and 4 plots in Sector F-10.

Maps available with Daily Times and a site visit clearly indicates that all the proposed plots for the upcoming auction are situated on the edges of drains and these are being created on the land which were uplifted by local residents by filling the edges of the drains.

An insider in the planning wing of the CDA briefed: “It is not the first time, but it is a routine that the planning wing creates new plots by changing the layout plan of the sectoral areas.”

He said further: “If a housing society adds new plots in its layout plan then the CDA considers it a violation, but in its own case the Authority considers it legitimate.”

On the other side the property consultants were of the view that the CDA should plan new sectors instead of selling land alongside the drains and green belts. They added: “Creating of new plots by changing the layout plan means that the Authority can change the other amenity plots for residential and commercial purposes at any stage.”

A Deputy Director of the Planning Wing, Malik Toqueer Nawaz, defended the decision and said; “In my view there is nothing wrong with creating new plots in old sectors as the Authority only uses unutilised state land because the need of space alongside the streams has been reducing over the time.”

He said further: “The change of the layout plan is quite legal if it does not disturb the defined public use areas i.e. parks, playgrounds etc.”

However, an officer inside the Authority commented on the condition of anonymity and said: “Initially, the CDA had allowed the people living on the tails of streets to use the adjacent land for beatification purposes and when they converted the shrubs into beautiful lawns the authority recalled that we can earn billions by selling this land.”

He said further: “Scientifically, these plots are also not fit for construction as these plots are being created on the artificially filled land, which can pose a serious danger in case of any natural disaster, whereas these plots can be hit by high flood at any time.”

Sources inside the CDA claimed that the Authority had marked around 200 plots in only F and G series at the edges of “nullahs” and the upcoming auction was a step of this policy.

Moreover the CDA has already cancelled all permissions granted to the residents for beautification and landscaping of their adjacent plots.

The advertisement of the CDA in this regard clearly mentioned that permission along nullahs and streams be cancelled, which led to the CDA move to sell further plots of a similar nature.

The Director Estate Management, Asim Khichi, refused to comment on the issue and said: “I have only been entitled to auction the plots, whereas the creation of new plots is the responsibility of the Planning Wing.”

The Director Urban Planning, Ijaz Ahmed Sheikh and the Member Planning Waseem Ahmed Khan, were contacted several times, but both were unavailable to respond on the issue.