Issues of sectors I-14 and I-15 referred to the Senate’s internal affairs body

ISLAMABAD – The Senate Chairman on Friday referred the agenda items pertaining to sectors I-14 and I-15, where the civic agency has been neglecting its duties for many years, for further deliberation in the Home Affairs Committee for further deliberations and arriving at positive conclusions.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, in response to a question by Senator Shahadat Awan highlighting the negligence and incompetence of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in the provision of water to Sector I-14 and ownership of plots by Sector I-14 allotment holders for the last 25 years, during the Question Period of the second sitting of the 334th session of the Senate, urged the Chairperson to forward the agenda to the Committee.

Senator Tarar said the problem was significant and was a classic example of the failure of many previous governments to address the issue.

He said that the issue raised by the senator should be referred to the Home Affairs Committee, where the CDA should deal with the matter on a regular basis.

Commenting on the I-15 sector, Tarar said that the I-15 sector was developed in 1995 and then its layout plans were changed in 2005 and 2014 to promote vertical development. However, after a lot of brainstorming and discussions on vertical and horizontal development, it was decided to promote both vertical and horizontal development in this sector in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner.

He said there were 10,000 allotment holders, but 900 applications had been received since July 1 and 25 people had been accommodated. “This issue should not be debated any longer as the process has already started and the possession of allotments will increase with time,” he added.

Earlier, Senator Shahadat Awan said the installed water pipelines of I-14 were rusting for the past five years because the contractor initiated a legal dispute in a local court that halted the project. “Why did the CDA place the pipelines on the disputed land? Why is the CDA not looking into the matter? The question should be referred to the committee,” he demanded of the House.

In response to the second question, Senator Awan said that Sector I-15 came into being after 25 years since its allocation commenced, but the CDA should be held accountable for its complacency and incompetence as it failed to ensure that the required action was taken.

Senator Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan in her supplementary speech added that the CDA was taking arbitrary decisions regarding revision of plot prices in Sector I-15, which should be looked into in an appropriate forum to bring relief to the masses.