CDA takes back 26 of 200 G-6 flats under illegal occupation

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority on Thursday regained possession of 26 flats in the G-6 building in Islamabad that had been under illegal occupation, while the remaining units are still occupied, mostly by police personnel.

The civic agency had planned a large-scale operation for Thursday and had also sought police assistance. However, the wider action was not carried out. In the first phase, the CDA took over 26 flats that had been occupied by CDA officials.

Asked why the action only resulted in the recovery of flats occupied by CDA employees and not those under the possession of police officials and others, CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said occupants had started vacating after written orders were issued. He said, "After issuance of written orders of operation, occupants voluntarily started vacating the flats, therefore, operation was postponed."

He added that action would be taken against those who do not vacate the flats on their own.

Project and occupation history

The CDA is seeking to recover all 200 flats from illegal occupants and plans to renovate them before auctioning them in the open market. The authority expects to generate more than Rs8 billion from the project.

The flats were built near Aabpara Market and were originally meant to be handed over to the housing ministry for allotment to government employees. However, the terms and conditions between the CDA and the housing ministry were not finalised when the 2005 earthquake struck. After that, survivors and displaced people were temporarily accommodated in the flats.

During the Lal Masjid operation in 2007, police officials began residing in the flats. They, along with other government employees, have continued to live there since then. Some officials also claimed that a number of flats had been rented out by the illegal occupants.

Court rulings and notices

The G-6 flats matter had already been taken up by the superior courts. The Islamabad High Court ruled against the illegal occupation of the flats, while appeals filed before the Supreme Court were also dismissed.

The court order stated, "In view of the above, all the captioned appeals are allowed and the impugned order dated 13-04-2011 is hereby set aside. The Inspector General of Police as well as the Secretary, Ministry of Interior, are directed to register criminal cases against all officials/employees of the Police Department who have illegally occupied the flats by force."

The court also directed the Inspector General of Police, Islamabad, to begin departmental proceedings against all occupants and submit a compliance report within one month.

The flats project was part of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s redevelopment plan approved by the federal cabinet in 1998. The purpose, was to replace old government quarters, provide secure accommodation to employees and encourage vertical construction to conserve Islamabad’s land bank.

Recently, the CDA issued notices to all 200 illegal occupants. After the notice period expired, the authority had planned the operation for Thursday.