ISLAMABAD: Despite attempts by land grabbers and real estate giants to ruin the natural landscapes of the capital city by developing housing colonies, most of our national park area has so far remained intact due to a ban on construction activities.

But, this may not be for long. With the construction of Margalla Avenue, chances of ill-planned housing and mushroom growth of commercial structures has increased, which in turn would wipe out the natural habitat of the Margalla Hilly Range’s national park area.

With the passage of time, the green image of ‘Islamabad the beautiful’ has already been tarnished due to infrastructure development, rapid urbanisation and migration of people from other parts of the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Fortunately, the northern side of Islamabad, the area along Margalla Hills, has so far not been affected or encroached the way other parts of the capital have been.

Completion of the newly-constructed Margalla Avenue on the foothills of the range has created more attraction for real estate giants, investors and those who want to have their dream houses built in Islamabad because, despite sharp surge in the price of land along Margalla Avenue in the recent past, the cost of this land is still said to be lesser than that area which falls in nearby residential sectors of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) like D-12, E-11, E-12 and C-14, 15 and 16.

The emergence of Margalla Avenue has also turned alive an abundant but much ambitious commercial-cum-residential project for real estate tycoons and city managers as well.

The project is called Gandhara Triangular Enclave (GTE) that was first conceived by the CDA over a decade ago.

The project is also said to be a floodgate opener for ill-conceived construction in the hilly area located on the border of Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A few months ago, the CDA board had approved the summary for commencing construction on the GTE project, which was then sent to the interior ministry for onward submission to the federal cabinet.

According to the initial layout plan, the GTE falls in Zone I and partially in Zone III. The cabinet is the competent forum to grant approval to construction in Zone III, which otherwise is a protected area to enhance a green character in the city.

Besides, making changes to the eastern side of Zone III, the CDA, in the said summary, wants to change the zoning regulations of Bhara Kahu’s western side in Zone III to enforce bylaws of Zone IV in this part of the city.

“Making regulations to provide relief to private land owners for construction of small houses is justifiable but there should be no massive scale construction such as GTE project in Zone III as this step would destroy the city’s green image,” a private town planner said.

The triangular shaped Gandhara project, comprising 74 acres, proposed five apartment towers, a mega shopping centre, plots for farmhouses, a cinema and so on.

It is believed that once the project is carved out on the proposed land, construction activity will not remain confined to it but will pave the way for a concrete jungle along the entire avenue and upward towards Margalla Hills.

“I am confident that Zone III and the National Park area will become another Bhara Kahu (a residential area in the north-west part of the city),” said an influential native of the area where the Gandhara project has been proposed.

Another local of the area said: “Gandhara Enclave may be extended across Margalla Avenue and will encroach into the national park area, damaging its natural habitat.

Fencing of the road

Now that Margalla Avenue has been opened to vehicular traffic, the first responsibility of the CDA is to build a fence on both sides of the road and if this is not possible, then it would be erected at least on the hillside to prevent crossing by wild animals otherwise fatal accidents and mushroom growth of ill-planned settlements may take place.

The operators of housing societies in Zone III, that were declared illegal by the civic body, are making attempts to get direct access from Margalla Road to boost their business. The fence was therefore imperative.

Secondly, the CDA must wrap up its plan to build Gandhara Enclave along Margalla Avenue, which aimed to construct highrise buildings. For this, environment watchdogs and the courts must play their effective role to safeguard the national park area to prevent the civic authority from executing the project in future.

Similarly, road safety measures must be taken on Margalla Avenue by fixing speed limit, providing road furniture, installing streetlights and checking incidents of road robberies.

When contacted, CDA Chairman Noorul Amin Mengal told Dawn that various studies were being undertaken to decide how planned construction activities should be carried out in the area.

He, however, did not rule out abandoning the much ambitious Gandhara Triangular Enclave project, saying that under the plan, a huge gap between two highrise buildings would be ensured so that the view of the hill was not blocked.

He said there was a proposal to allow construction on only 20pc on the plot area in localities near the national park area to keep the green image intact.

The official said there was another proposal under which no construction would be allowed on the area from Margalla Avenue up to the hills.

However, a source in the CDA said it would become impossible for the authority to stop all sorts of construction there because the influential people had made heavy investments in the area.

About the fencing of Margalla Avenue, Mr Mengal said he had already issued orders in this regard and fences would be erected on both sides on the pattern of motorways so that construction of commercial buildings would be prevented.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2023