ISLAMABAD: Landowners affected by the development of sectors C 16 and H 16 staged a large protest on Thursday rejecting the built up property awards recently announced by the Capital Development Authority. The protesters termed the awards unjust and inconsistent with ground realities and existing rehabilitation commitments.
Hundreds of landowners gathered after hearing reports of a possible inauguration of projects in H 16 and voiced strong opposition to the CDA policy. They argued that unlike earlier sectors such as C 13 C 14 and C 15 the latest built up awards were prepared using satellite images from 2008 rather than current physical verification of houses and family units.
According to the protesters the CDA land and rehabilitation policy guaranteed a five marla plot for each 300 square feet covered house. While this principle was applied in previous sectors the new awards for C 16 and H 16 restrict eligibility to structures that existed in or before 2008 when land acquisition took place under the land sharing policy.
Affected landowners said the CDA delayed built up awards for years and is now applying retrospective criteria that ignore population growth and expansion of families over the past decade. They demanded withdrawal of the notification and fresh awards based on present day housing conditions rather than outdated imagery.
Protesters also raised concerns over compensation rates stating that land was acquired in 2008 at around eight hundred thousand rupees per kanal while the CDA later auctioned developed plots for tens of millions. They demanded compensation at prevailing market rates to reflect the real value of their land.
Representatives of the Affected Persons Alliance warned of a sit in if their demands were not addressed. A resolution was passed urging immediate revision of the awards and clearance of all pending compensation claims.
Responding to the protest CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said the authority legally acquired the land in 2008 and that Suparco verified satellite imagery from that year provides an objective basis for determining genuine built up claims. He maintained that post acquisition constructions are illegal and that the CDA will ensure lawful compensation to eligible affectees strictly in line with policy and legal provisions.
