To our surprise, Bani Gala climbed up the Zameen search Trends ranks back in 2016 and landed on the fifth slot. The locality gained popularity back in 2015, and that was when property rates there increased by 50%, according to SM Properties CEO Shah Jahan. Read on below if you want to know the latest happenings regarding Bani Gala.
Construction forbidden
According to the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s zoning law, construction in Bani Gala is forbidden. According to a news report shared in May this year, the neighbourhood has 2,206 residential and commercial buildings constructed within the prohibited area, which is a violation of Islamabad Capital Zoning Regulations 1922.
When the official master plan of Islamabad was designed back in 1960, the Bani Gala area was marked as site reserved for the National Park. In order to control the illegal construction lately seen in Bani Gala, the CDA had to devise a new mechanism back in July this year.
The new mechanism
On instruction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the civic body has devised a new mechanism to regularise residential projects that lie outside CDA’s schemes. The new regulations are applicable to the entire Islamabad Capital Territory.
In this regard, a separate department named Building Control II has been formed to enforce building regulations on housing schemes other than the CDA’s own projects and sectors. Building Control II approves the building plans and issues NOC for property transfer and/or lease extension. It issues completion certificates for building plans, detects building code violations, and takes action upon violations.
Protecting Bani Gala from encroachment
Bani Gala is located near Rawal Lake, which is the main water supply line for Rawalpindi and a sizeable part of Islamabad. Due to unplanned and unapproved construction activities, contamination levels in Rawal Lake have increased many times in the last couple of years, according to a news source, causing serious health hazards.
Not only this, sewerage water and poultry waste is also channelled to this lake. Illegal deforestation and consequent land erosion is also adding to the problem. Earlier in May this year, the Supreme Court banned the cutting of trees and encroachment in Bani Gala, directing the CDA to hold a survey on Rawal Dam land and provide suggestions on improving the waste management systems.
Some serious concerns
There are no arrangements made by the CDA for Bani Gala for providing running water, essentially because the CDA was not looking to develop it as a housing sector. The neighbourhood essentially lacks a proper town plan; property owners construct their own tracks off the main roads leading to their respective property. In addition to that, the residents here arrange for their own transformers to get electricity.
Construction of multi-storey buildings banned
According to a news report shared in September this year, the CDA has warned real estate developers and individual property owners against constructing multi-storey buildings in various CDA sectors, Bani Gala, areas located adjacent to the Islamabad Expressway, and all housing societies in Islamabad without getting an approval from the civic body.
Through this notice, the CDA also warned general public to refrain from investing in unapproved projects, stating that over 100 illegal housing societies operate in the city. In order to stay away from investing in any such projects, property buyers should get the status of a society checked by contacting CDA officials or by visiting the official CDA website.
You can decide if investing in a project located in Bani Gala is feasible at the moment or not based on this information.
If you have feedback or any questions for me, please talk to me in the comments section below.
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Politics and race to gather votes has destroyed this very scenic gem of Islamabad. I don’t see any hope for such communities. People in such places will never get basic necessities or emergency services from CDA. Right now it only provides opportunity for low-budget buyers.
I think someone like Malik Riaz or DHA should study such societies, whether buying out everyone through compensation or substitution offer somewhere and demolish the whole area altogether. Then re-develop in to high value real-estate. My wild guess says, such project can be financially viable.