ISLAMABAD: Even six months after the issuance of orders by Islamabad High Court (IHC), the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to demarcate the boundaries of Margalla Hills National Park.

The IHC on Jan 11, 2022, issued the directives for demarcation of the boundaries within 60 days.

Speaking to Dawn, a senior officer of the CDA said a committee had already been formed which had started its work.

He said records of the ICT revenue department, CDA and Rawalpindi were being collected as Rawalpindi still had the record of some revenue estate in Islamabad which had been acquired by the federal government when the capital was developed.

“The committee has been working to complete the task as soon as possible,” the officer said.

Earlier, on March 1, CDA Member Planning Naveed Illahi notified a five-member committee for carrying out the demarcation.

According to the notification, the director environment (regional) of the CDA was made the focal person/convener of the committee with the additional deputy commissioner revenue ICT, the deputy commissioner CDA, representatives of the defence ministry and the Survey of Pakistan as its members.

According to a copy of the IHC judgement: “The respective secretaries of the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior and the chairman CDA shall jointly conduct a survey and demarcate the unharmed area of the notified national park.

“The survey and demarcation shall be completed within 60 days from the date of this order. They will ensure that no activity or construction is allowed within the notified national park as mandated under MLR-82, the CDA Ordinance 1960 and regulations made thereunder the Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Ordinance 1979, and the Islamabad Preservation of Landscape Ordinance 1966.”

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Jan 11 had also directed the civic agency to seal the sprawling naval golf course located in the Margalla Hills National Park area and, unless an environmentally-friendly use can be found for it, ordered its demolition within four weeks.

The court had also rejected the military’s claim on over 8,000 acres of the national park and ordered the CDA to seal Monal Restaurant set up in the national park area.

It also asked the defence ministry to ensure that the amount received as rent was deposited in the exchequer.

The court directed the defence secretary to ascertain which officials were responsible for the construction of the golf course while the CDA chairman was ordered to probe the construction of Monal and other restaurants on national park land.

After building Monal Restaurant, the CDA had leased it out for 15 years which expired last year. However, a few years before the expiry of the lease, the lessee started paying the rent to the military, which stated that the land where Monal was constructed belonged to them on the basis of a notification from year 1912.

Following the IHC order, CDA and the ICT administration had sealed Monal, which was, however, de-sealed later on the directives of the Supreme Court.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2022