PINSTECH sees illegal constructions as security threat

[Salman]

Islamabad - Considering the illegal and unauthorised constructions in the ‘restricted area’ of 2,000 yards around the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Nilore, a security threat to the sensitive installations, at least four state departments are jointly working out a strategy how to go with the demarcation of the restricted area in the shortest possible time and then remove them from the site, The Nation has learnt reliably on Sunday.
Expressing concern over what it considered illegal constructions and a threat to the sensitive installations, the management of the PINSTECH and ministry of defence had approached the Survey of Pakistan and Capital Development Authority (CDA) for demarcation of the restricted area and removal of the buildings respectively.
The issue of demarcation has had been a subject of correspondence amongst four state departments; the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Survey of Pakistan, Headquarters Security Division and Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the last more than six months but they could hardly make any progress on it due to apparent lack of interest and fear of backlash from the locals who are supposed to be dislodged from the area once the survey is completed and government departments start action against the illegal constructions.
According to the documents available with this scribe, the issue has now landed in the CDA and has been a source of hostility between the two directorates; enforcement directorate and the regional planning directorate with each one asking the other what steps it has taken so far for stopping illegal development of housing schemes in Zone-IV except writing to the other.
The SPD had sought help of the CDA and civil police for survey/ demarcation of the restricted area smoothly and in the shortest possible timeframe. In a recent development, the enforcement directorate has asked the regional planning directorate of the CDA — being custodian of ICT Zoning Regulation 2005 — to clarify what steps so far have been taken by the regional planning directorate for stopping illegal development of housing schemes in Zone-IV except writing to enforcement directorate and joint sub-registrar. It further asked whether penal clauses as provided under ICT Zoning Regulation 2005 have been invoked by the director regional planning before referring the matter to the enforcement directorate. The enforcement directorate has further asked the director regional planning to forward all those cases/files in which all codal formalities i.e. issuance of notices, challan etc have been fulfilled so that further action on part of this directorate might be taken.
Earlier, the planning directorate had asked the enforcement directorate to do the needful to survey and remove illegal constructions within the restricted area.
In a sequence of developments, the SPD on June 23, 2014 had asked the Survey of Pakistan to intimate timeframe for survey/demarcation of the 2,000 yards restricted area around PINSTECH as was earlier requested by the enforcement directorate CDA on June 9, 2014. The enforcement directorate had assured the DG Security, SPO Rawalpindi, that it would be available for assistance as and when required by the operations directorate, SPD Rawalpindi, but requested to provide with timeframe of survey of the area.
It is important to mention here that the ministry of defence under Work of Defence Act 1903 has imposed certain restrictions on use and enjoyment of land within 2,000 yards (1828 meters) around PINSTECH Complex, Nilore, vide SRO No 279(I)/2007 dated March 26, 2007. Accordingly, Survey of Pakistan had started survey/demarcation of 2000 yards restricted area which was later stopped due to interference from the locals of the area. The locals had also challenged the status of SRO in SC but the court had dismissed the writ petition of the locals and given decision in favour of ministry of defence.