* Encroachments on the rise again, affected residents start blackmailing the civic body

By Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) administration has shunned following its ‘Trap Villages Policy (TVP)’ resulting not only in an increase in corruption in land projects but the rate of encroachments has also been raised by ten times in the federal capital, said the sources.

They said no government department took any action against the CDA management for changing the policy, which caused a situation that the work on residential projects was being delayed as the affected residents of the capital, once again, started blackmailing the CDA and the CDA officials started corruption in the name of affected people.

They said CDA’s former chairman Kamran Lashari had devised a policy that during new residential projects, the TVP would be applied. The idea behind the TVP was that the villages should not be disturbed in all the new sectors and a wall would be constructed around the villages and only the agricultural or barren land would be acquired. Furthermore, owing to TVP, the CDA would save money in the lieu of build-up property (BUP) and land would be easily acquired. The TVP was applied in Sectors I-17 and H-16, which were acquired for industrial estate, and “Noon Village” was not disturbed by building a boundary wall. Later, it was decided that the TVP would be implemented in G-14, I-12 and other seven new sectors, which were in the pipeline.

They observed that the TVP decreased chances of corruption but the CDA officials, especially land directorate, was not in its favour. So, the new administrators after Lashari decided to change the policy.

Sector I-12 was the first sector selected for the BUP award after TVP, and plots were allotted to the residents of the sector. Subsequently, the rate of encroachment was increased by ten times in all the sectors. Increase in illegal construction was witnessed in I-15, E-12, F-13, G-14 and other sectors, the sources said adding there were encroachments in 90 percent area of the Sector G-12.

Referring to the CDA policies, the sources said policies of the capital body were made to favour the bureaucrats and politicians adding the Kuri Model Village would be the biggest scam in the history of the federal capital, as TVP was not adopted at the time of award. They alleged that fake names were added to the award list. It was decided for the first time that a person who did not own land, could receive money against BUP, they said.

They added the compensation was not the trade commodity but still transfer of plots was kept open for the affected residents due to which the chances of fake entries in award list were doubled. They further said hundreds of CDA officers and property dealers have files of Kuri Model Village at present. The land mafia plays very important role in all CDA projects regarding land so some CDA officers, who are sincere with their department and country, cannot do any thing, they observed.