Encroaching upon others' rights and properties is something that seems to have acquired the status of our national norm. It is, therefore, interesting to note that some foreign missions in the capital, too, have contracted this scourge. According to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), there are cases of encroachment by 11 embassies or ambassadors' residences in F sectors that are in violation of the capital's Master Plan. It has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask the concerned missions to "voluntarily remove them, failing which the same will be removed under law." Since these encroachments are nothing but purely makeshift arrangements such as security barriers, checkposts and power generators, these must be removed within the stipulated two-week deadline. But that's not all the CDA is supposed to be doing in terms of removing illegal encroachments - it needs to go whole hog against encroachments across the entire landscape of the federal capital. Although the authority carried out an anti-encroachment drive last year, its main target were only 'katchi abadis' and some private housing societies. And as for posh localities of the capital, excepting only a few cases, which are now in courts, it has failed to retrieve the government land from illegal occupation in F sectors. How unfortunate it is that almost all houses in these areas occupy vacant pieces of land between the metaled parts of roads and have turned these into their 'kitchen gardens'. Consequently, the roads in streets are half-occupied by parked vehicles. It is one's hope the CDA also goes for removal of security posts and electricity generators placed outside their houses by the residents.
Of course, going after the foreign missions makes good news, but the real challenge confronting the trio - Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation and Islamabad Capital Authority - is restoration of Islamabad's grace and serenity. It is a fact that the city has lost its streetlights. It also suffers from lack of water supply, although the conservancy plus water charges have gone up by many notches and there is also a steep rise in property tax. It is not true that the city fathers are in short supply of cash; what actually ails them is lack of planning and administration. How come every plaza in the Blue Area has been found fit and duly certified by the CDA for possession. And, what plan does CDA have for the buyers of plots who made full payments at least a decade ago but it has not handed plots over to them for construction? Had the CDA forced the allottees of commercial plots in Blue Area between its F-9 and G-9 sectors to complete construction within the specified timeframe there would not have been this mad rush for shops and offices in the existing part of this neighbourhood. And what a miscalculation that even after 40 years, the city courts remain housed in private buildings in the congested Ayub Market, causing immense discomfort to judges, lawyers and litigants.
In a nutshell, if history of CDA's administrative culture is any guide, it becomes apparent that the officialdom of the authority remains indifferent to violations of the city's Master Plan, and it only acts, albeit reluctantly, after these are committed. It must stop looking the other way. Its officials must visit the sites to ensure that each construction, at every step, is strictly in line with approved design. Its concerned staff must ensure that rubbish is not thrown at unmarked spots. Insofar as the foreign missions are concerned, their violations are not a big deal and would be taken care of in due course; the big deal is to ensure development of the nation's capital in line with the spirit and body of its Master Plan.
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