Capital Development Authority (CDA) board is considering relaxing the rules under which housing societies are graded as unauthorised and illegal. The marketing as well as advertisement of housing projects without taking No Objection Certificate (NOC) from CDA is considered to be illegal.
According to the document available with Business Recorder, 109 housing societies are declared illegal including Bahria Enclave-I, Media Town, Media city-I, television media town, Supreme Court Housing Scheme G-17, Pakistan Overseas Housing Scheme F-16, Naval Farm, Margalla Gardens, Ghouri Town phases in Zone 5, Parliamentarians Enclave, National Police Foundation, Morgah city, Eden Life Zone 4, Federation of Employees Housing Scheme E-11, Gulberg Town Housing Scheme Phase 2, Ghouri Gardens, Askaria Town, Kiani Town, Islamabad Saif garden, Burma Town, Green Avenue, Green Avenue -II, Judicial Employees Housing Scheme, Canterbury Enclave near Park Road, Royal City/Royal Villas, Muslim Town, Government Officers Co-operative Farming Scheme, Shaheen farms etc.
As per document, some of the Housing schemes namely Muhafiz Gardens, Rawal Enclave, Faisal Town, Grace Land Housing and Air Line Avenue are being marketed as located in Islamabad, whereas neither these schemes fall in Islamabad nor any approval/NOC has been obtained from CDA for launching and marketing of the schemes. Sources in CDA told Business Recorder that CDA has written a letter to Utility Service providers Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), not to entertain any further application for new connections of electricity and gas to these societies for being illegal.
Since the time SNGPL received the instructions, the applications were not being entertained and none of the gas connection was approved, added the source. He said, however the SNGPL has written to CDA stating that the utility is under high pressure due to bundle of pending applications for the new connection whereby WAPDA, meanwhile, is giving electricity connections and not following the instructions. A source in SNGPL when contacted said that people are facing difficulty because of CDA instructions whereas there are massive numbers of applications pending looking for new connections.
The source in CDA told that there are societies which do not come under the jurisdiction of CDA like Media Town which comes in Punjab jurisdiction but CDA has graded it as illegal too. He said CDA Member Planning Waseem Khan declared these societies illegal according to the strict parameters that even a minor short coming in documents caused the status of housing societies illegal.
He further added that CDA board was supposed to take up the matter on Monday July 18, but the matter was deferred till next board meeting, however, he said the principle decision although has been taken and the rules will soon be revised to give relaxation to those societies who are not violating the laws seriously. CDA spokesperson, Malik Saleem said that the working on the matter is in process and the board will take up the issue in next meeting. He said if any society doesn't meet the criteria it would not be spared.