The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has not been able to remove security barriers as per the Supreme Court directives, from different roads, erected by the management of some five stars hotels, embassies and diplomatic missions on state land, citing security reasons.
A senior official of the CDA told Business Recorder that the CDA following the directives of the apex court has removed security barriers erected by different embassies and individuals in various part of the city. But he said that the security barriers and encroachment could not be removed from some hotels and foreign missions for security reasons. He revealed that the management of these hotels and embassies has conveyed to the CDA that the authority would be responsible for the security of their high profile guests, if the authority removes security walls and barricades.
The official said that following the directives of the Supreme Court, the enforcement directorate of the CDA, had informed the management of different hotels to remove barriers from the CDA land around hotel premises as well as those erected on roads.
He further said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also asked the CDA that some diplomatic missions/embassies located outside the Diplomatic Enclave in various residential sectors of Islamabad have encroached upon the municipal land due to security concerns.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also requested the CDA to conduct a survey in the city and find out the details of state land encroached upon by the different embassies/missions without the approval of the CDA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said.
The CDA official said that the CDA enforcement wing has conducted a survey and also removed barriers from different roads but did not take action in some locations due to security concerns.
The Supreme Court in February directed the civic body to remove all security barriers erected by different foreign missions in the name of security. The court also directed the CDA that the foreign missions should be dealt with under the rules of business and they should be shifted to the Diplomatic Enclave as they have already been allotted plots by the CDA, he said.
Ramzan Sajjid, a spokesman of the CDA said that the authority has carried out an extensive operation across the federal capital for the removal of security barriers to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The operation was launched by the enforcement wing of the civic body in the light of directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to remove hurdles from all roads and streets in the federal capital, he said.
He said that the authority has removed cement blocks and dismantled security barriers in different parts of the city and opened roads for traffic.
Comments
Comments are closed.