Islamabad: Wake-up call to CDA: No check on use of houses for commercial purposes

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Survey shows 795 residential units in federal capital have been converted into offices, educational institutions, eateries and salons

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The growing use of houses for commercial purposes has exposed the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) indifference to non-conforming use of residential units in the city.

The Islamabad Residential Sector Zoning (Building Control) Regulations, 2005, prohibit commercial activities of all kinds in houses but its enforcement is not there.

According to a survey by the CDA’s Building Control Structure Directorate, around 795 houses are currently being used for commercial purposes in the city’s residential areas.

Most of these houses are in the use of government, semi-government and private organisations, which have established their offices there, while the rest of them are used as eateries, educational institutions and salons.

More specifically, government and private offices have been set up in 325 houses, schools, colleges and university campuses in 255 houses, commercial offices in 124 houses, guesthouses in 87 houses and restaurants in four houses in violation of the city’s building bylaws but the CDA has yet to initiate action in this respect.

The locals, mostly government employees, say non-conforming use of residential units has created housing shortage for them. At the same time, they express the fear that terrorists may use such houses.

They complain their repeated complaints to the CDA Building Control Structure Directorate for crackdown on those carrying out commercial activities in houses have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Of late, the sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior also directed the CDA to ensure early action against non-conforming use of residential units in the capital city but the needful has yet to be done.

Daily Times has learnt on good authority that the CDA has yet to issue a single notice to the violators of the ban on the use of houses for commercial purposes in the city what to talk of punishing them or canceling their house allotments under the law.

According to an official, the CDA can impose heavy fines on those found guilty of non-conforming use of residential units and even cancel their allotment letters if the violation in question continues for three months.

He said a house owner had to pay fine and submit a written assurance to the CDA Building Control Structure Directorate not to carry out commercial activity in their residential units in future so as to get their allotments restored.

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