The capital development authority CDA was instructed by the Supreme Court to give names of the individuals who have built palatial residences and farm houses on the land allocated for agricultural purpose.
The CDA informed a three member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that the owners of 504 farmhouses have been served notices and were directed to demolish the ‘illegal’ constructions and level them down to the ground in 45 days. Many defaulters have also built commercial buildings on agricultural lands.The counsel for CDA told the court that they wanted to restore the original area of the place which was 4850 sq ft, before the illegal constructions. He said that warnings were issued to the miscreants to revert the farm land back to its original state.
It is interesting to note that the owners of these illegal mansions, farm houses and palatial villas are prominent politicians like Shaukat Aziz, former chairman senate Muhammad Mian Soomro, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Senator Wsim Sajjad, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Raja Nadir Pervez, and several other retired army officers, journalists and lawyers who had transformed the agro lands into palatial residences. These agricultural plots were leased out in eight sub urban areas of Islamabad to influential people to grow and develop crops for the poor and under privileged. Over the time these were converted into mansions, wedding halls and commercial areas.
These farms were given in the 70’s to attract people to farming but were stopped in the 80’s. The case has been adjourned for a month.
