Park Enclave, Bahria Town project’s competition takes a new turn

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* Malik Riaz uses influence to force CDA change advertisement boards declaring Park Enclave only approved housing project in Zone-IV

* CDA refuses NOC for Bahira Enclave without meeting requirements

By Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD: After Daily Times reports against the illegal housing project in Zone-IV and increasing public pressure, the Bahria Town management has changed their claim that the Bahria Enclave project is in front of Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) Project Park Enclave declaring it near to Park Enclave.

Bahria Town management using its political has allegedly gotten pressurised CDA, due to which CDA employees had to paste stickers on the advertising boards of Park Enclave mentioning Park Enclave the only approved housing sector in Zone IV, Daily Times learnt on Thursday.

According to sources, officers of Behria Town spent hours in Director General (DG) Planning Office to get the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Bahria Enclave project but they were clearly told that without fulfilling the requirements the NOC could be issued.

CDA had announced a residential project ‘Park Enclave’ in Zone IV, but soon after it Malik Riaz of Bahria Town announced a project Bahria Enclave and issued advertisements stating that his project located is in front of Park Enclave and the price of plots will be half as compared to Park Enclave. Bahria Town’s this move was only aimed to flop CDA’s project.

Daily Times in its news reports pointed out that Riaz has been influencing about 80 percent private housing societies in federal capital. Members of the administrative committees of these societies are blue eyed of Riaz who allegedly invest money to buy hundreds and thousands of memberships of the societies at the time of elections due to which his favorites win the elections and after that they do whatever Riaz wants. On the other hand, the land mafia has paralyzed the CDA, which has been given responsibility to open new residential sectors as development of many sectors has been stalled and people had to invest in private housing societies.

A director of CDA told on condition of anonymity that CDA had not given any NOC to any housing society in Zone IV, but still Riaz announced a residential project and have been looting the people. He said according to rules strict action should be taken against the project and land should be confiscated. Daily Times also pointed out that project of Malik Riaz is almost seven kilometers far from CDA’s project. On the other hand people also started investigating and reached to a conclusion that Riaz’s project was far away from CDA project.

As the pressure of the public started increasing and there was a fear that Supreme Court might take suo moto notice of it finally Riaz had to accept that their project is not in front of Park Enclave due to which they have given a new advertisement stating that their project is near Park Enclave.

An officer of CDA requesting not to be named said CDA had fixed advertising boards of Park Enclave Project on Park Road, Rawal Chowk, Kuri Road and other places. On top of these boards it was mentioned that “Zone IV’s Only Approved Housing Sector” on second line it was mentioned “Park Enclave” and in thirds row it was mentioned that “First See the Site and Then Decide”. Malik Riaz was not happy with CDA on these boards creating an impression that Riaz’s project is unapproved and illegal. Sources said he used his influence and on Thursday CDA employees pasted stickers on the top line of the boards and it has been decided to delete this line with paint.

Another officer told this scribe that on Thursday a number of persons were sitting in the room of DG Planning Ghulam Sarwar Sindhu to get the NOC for their Bahria Encalve project but Sindhu told them that without fulfilling legal requirement NOC could not be issued.

Sources said Riaz had been trying his best to get the legal status for his project but so far he could not succeed and used his influence and pasted stickers on the boards, which were putting bad impression for his project.