The Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans to launch an operation within the next week to seal the offices of 40 illegal housing societies in Islamabad.
The CDA Planning Wing issued notices on August 21 to seal the offices, but no action has been taken in the more than two and a half months since. The layout plans of the societies were cancelled after they failed to meet the terms and conditions of their approved plans within three years.
A senior Planning Wing officer wrote a letter on October 23 stating that the marketing and site offices of none of the illegal or unauthorised housing schemes had been sealed despite the delay of more than two months. The letter described the situation as “alarming” in relation to the campaign against the schemes’ sponsors.
The letter also noted that some sponsors were reportedly trying to obtain stay orders from courts, taking advantage of the delay.
The officer directed the deputy directors of the Planning Wing to implement the sealing orders immediately with the assistance of the Enforcement Directorate. The letter said that any failure would be treated as inefficiency and misconduct and would be dealt with under the CDA Employees Service Regulations.
Based on the letter, the Enforcement Directorate has decided to seek help from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and Islamabad Police to carry out the operation smoothly. An Enforcement Directorate official said that anti-encroachment operations in various parts of the ICT had also delayed action against the societies.
Small investors have demanded action against CDA officers who approved the layout plans of these schemes. The owners continued to sell plot files during this period without carrying out development work, and violated other CDA regulations.
