ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):Around 600 illegal housing housing societies have been operating in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad without any formal approval, Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Captain (R) Noorul Amin Mengal told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
The 35th meeting of the committee was held here at the CDA Secretariat to receive briefing on comprehensive report on implementation status of the previous recommendations of the Committee, complete details of Housing Societies in Islamabad (legal and illegal) causing severe damage to the environment and sewerage system in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), briefing on all restaurants located on Margalla Hills causing severe damage to the environment with poor sewerage system, and especially the complete case study of Monal Restaurant with previous follow up.
Chairperson MNA, Nuzhat Pathan presided the committee and expressed her resentment over late arrival of the Chairman CDA in the Committee meeting whereas the Authority officials had informed the chair that the latter was in the Court for personal hearing.
The Chairman CDA informed that there were some 318 illegal housing societies in Rawalpindi and 150 housing societies in Islamabad whereas most of these societies were in Fatehjang, Rawalpindi Tehsil.
The cumulative figure of these illegal or unauthorized societies was falling between 568-600 societies alongwith some 100 illegal societies being established in the adjoining Attock district.
The Chairperson took the floor to seek information from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination on Soybean Seeds import summary pending in the Ministry causing increase in the prices of poultry products.
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Musaddik Ahmed Khan briefed the forum in detail on the context of the issue and informed that there were alternates to the poultry feed already available in the market and there was no such shortage but rather it was exploitative tactic by the Poultry industry.
MNA, Romina Khrushid Alam on her agenda item expressed her resentment on the response submitted by IWMB and CDA pertaining to installation of streetlights in the National Park.
“There are serious concerns of CDA on installing street lights in Margalla Hills National Park is strange. There are solutions to it as sensor-based lights could be used to illuminate the hiking tracks. The language needs to be changed,” she said.
There are 102 gutter lids stolen in the federal capital and a day earlier two individuals including a father and son died after the boy fell into the gutter and got suffocated due to gas.
She proposed that the Committee should strongly recommend the federal cabinet for appointing a highly qualified member in CDA to take environmental matters on priority basis and also from EPA.
Member, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), Waqar Zekria informed the forum that most of the species in Margalla Hills National Park were nocturnal and were impacted by lights at night.
The guidelines for visitors of trails were very clear that they should after sunrise and leave the national park before sunset, he added.
He mentioned that the more the traffic the more would be the damage to nature in the national park whereas on average there were over 5,000 visitors visiting trails at the weekends.
“We will propose a timing of 9-10 pm to provide full lights in the national park and then halt entry into the national park to sustain wildlife,” he added.
Chairman CDA Noor ul Amin Mengal said there were few view points and paths that needed street lights and it should be installed there but the rest was a protected and jungle area with a controlled entry.
“The CDA Environment Wing has planted 700,000 trees across the federal capital out of which one third are fruit trees that are primarily to enhance green cover. Moreover, section 144 has been imposed in the Margalla Hills National Park on no smoking and cooking food as it all has been banned,” he said.
Exercising its powers, the Capital Administration had sent 4-5 people in jail on average per day violating section 144 in the national park. The Board members have been given magistracy powers to detain violators, he said.
Commenting on the I-14 tragic incident, the CDA chief said the incident was miss reported as the boy went himself into the gutter to pick his ball and the father instead of calling any department went into it to rescue his son and died due to accumulated gas.
“We are working on introducing plastic gutter lids made of reusable plastics that were not stolen by tramps and addicts in the streets,” he said.
He demanded that the Pak-EPA should withdraw it’s NOCs and the CDA would pull out it’s NOCs for housing societies not complying the laws.
The Chairperson Committee, MNA Nuzhat Pathan also highlighted the issue of objectionable movements of the people in the national park and there were couples being attacked by humans and animals.
She urged the authority to seriously take up the matter for an amicable solution. Moreover, CDA should publish illegal housing societies’ details on media for mass awareness.
The Director Housing CDA informed that there were 63 total housing societies in different zones of the federal capital out of which 43 were awarded no objection certificates (NOCs) after environmental clearance of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA). However, there 10 housing societies’ NOCs and clearance pending, he added.
Director General, Pak-EPA, Farzana Altaf Shah said the number of housing societies quoted were ambiguous and needed proper classification as legal or illegal.
The environmental clearance for a society was mandatory under section 12 of PEPA Act 1997 whereas the housing society’s land, layout and design all were approved by the CDA, she added.
EPA, she said was not a member of any of the CDA’s committee. “Solid waste collection is a serious issue of the capital because all societies claim that CDA or MCI will provide them the facility. A private housing society in capital was fined Rs 33 million for non-compliance of environmental laws due to EPA,” she told the Committee.
She said there was no sewage system in the capital’s housing societies and were dumping its liquid waste directly into the natural nullahs of the capital.
MNA Shahida Rehmani highlighted the issue of bad stink of liquid waste in the iconic F-9 Park that was left unattended.
The EPA DG told the committee that it was mainly due to E-9 sector liquid waste dumped into F-9 Park drain. She also announced that she would cancel all the NOCs of societies not complying with the environmental laws.
MNAs, Tahira Aurangzeb, Shamim Ara Panwar, Engineer Sabir Qaimkhani, Aysha Rajab Ali, Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das, also attended the committee meeting and expressed their views and queries during the meeting.
