ISLAMABAD: Senior officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) stand accused of illegally allowing the conversion of a three-acre football ground in Markaz I-8 into a concrete batching plant, depriving residents of a vital recreational facility and causing heavy financial losses to the exchequer.
In a formal complaint lodged with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), senior journalist Shamshad Mangat alleged that Member Planning, the Director General (Urban Planning) and the Director Sports & Culture misused their authority by sanctioning the commercial use of a community playground in blatant violation of CDA regulations, zoning laws and a binding Supreme Court ruling.
The football ground, planned and developed as part of I-8’s community infrastructure, has, for more than a year, been used to store cement, sand and stone crush. Concrete carriers regularly transport material from the site to other construction projects, while excavation for the adjacent Century Business Park has damaged the ground’s fencing and surface. Continuous heavy vehicle movement has created dust and air pollution, further deteriorating the environment of the residential sector.
Mangat said that when he confronted CDA’s Director Sports & Culture, the official admitted to visiting the site but claimed that the operator had shown him a “permission letter” issued by CDA’s Planning Wing. Instead of halting the illegal activity, the director allegedly allowed it to continue.
“No law of CDA permits the destruction of a playground or its conversion into a commercial batching plant. If such permission exists, it is unlawful; if it does not, then the operation is continuing with the connivance of CDA officials,” Mangat stated in his letter.
He also invoked the 2006–07 Supreme Court judgment in the Jubilee Park case, which explicitly barred CDA from using public parks and playgrounds for commercial purposes.
The complaint estimates that allowing the use of 130,680 square feet of prime land for a commercial batching plant has cost CDA more than Rs313 million annually in potential revenue, based on prevailing rental values in I-8 Markaz.
“This is a star example of misuse of authority, collusion and criminal negligence that not only destroys public facilities but also robs the city of massive financial resources,” Mangat alleged, urging FIA to open a high-level investigation in the public interest.
The CDA has not yet issued any official response to the allegations.
