Zubair Qureshi
The federal cabinet has been assured by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and other relevant departments that Margalla Road which is one of Islamabad’s main arteries would be cleared of encroachments within six months and the issue would be resolved amicably.
In the last cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in chair, it was informed that an underpass would also be constructed near Shaheen Chowk on the Margalla Road in collaboration with the Pakistan Navy (PN), Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the CDA to streamline the overwhelming traffic on this road.
The contract for a marquee in E-9 had been cancelled while educational institutions in the area were directed to ensure that their students and staff parked their vehicles on the premises of the campuses and not on roadsides, it was further told in the cabinet meeting.
According to a press release issued by the federal government after the meeting, the Ministry of Defence and the CDA briefed the cabinet about the timeline regarding removal of encroachments from Margalla Road. The cabinet was further informed that the defence ministry had submitted an application to the CDA for approval of the building plans of structures built on Margalla Road.
It said the contract of a marquee in E-9 had been revoked, adding that the security wall would be shifted to the approved sites in six months. The cabinet was informed that a wetland would be set up in three months for the cleanliness of nullahs passing through the area.
The cabinet was informed that construction of buildings would not be allowed on greenbelts. The issue regarding encroachments on Margalla Road had been taken up in the federal cabinet several times and in August 2020, the cabinet was briefed that not only Margalla Road but its service roads North, South and East had also been occupied in E-8 and many buildings in the sector had been built without approval from the CDA.
The federal government and the CDA however, according to sources, did not want to launch an operation and instead opted to make all out efforts to convince the departments concerned to remove the encroachments themselves.
