CDA, MCI, and ICT are three separate departments of Islamabad, each with its responsibilities for running the federal capital. MCI elections have not been held for four years. High Court Judge Justice Mohsin Kiani has ruled in a writ petition against the increase in property tax that MCII and CDA are two separate departments and until MCI elections are held, CDA cannot interfere in its affairs or use its funds and will have to apply every month to the High Court to release funds for running day-to-day affairs.
Until the MCI elections, no authority can levy any local tax or increase it – CDA has more than 16,000 employees and officers of its own. But more than 100 officers have been brought on deputation from other provinces, especially Punjab, to run MCI and CDA. Since officers brought from other cities are one grade up, despite being senior, CDA officers work under their junior officers, which increases the problems.
Officers brought from other cities are unaware of all local problems and do not have any contact with the local population and residents. They aim to get a profit in the form of plots after six months. Nowadays, the DMA department has also become practically inactive.
CDA recently implemented parking fees in Jinnah Supermarket, which was the responsibility of MCI, but the parking fee project has completely failed. A parking plaza was built in the Blue Area, and most of the plaza was converted into shops and sold. The parking plaza may also be useless, therefore, CDA has decided to make the two most important markets of Islamabad, Blue Area and Jinnah Supermarket, car-free, for which no one has taken the traders unions of both markets into confidence, and decisions have been taken in the style of martial law.
There are shops and more offices in the Blue Area. Will offices be affected by the car-free system? It is not known whether they are violating the master plan by making such decisions at the behest of someone. Such decisions will increase the problems instead of solving them.
According to the notification of the MCI DMA department, it is the body responsible for obtaining board tax and trade licenses in ICT. About a year and a half ago, union councils were stopped from making any kind of trade license, and the auction was canceled. Similarly, under the 1968 ordinance, issuing licenses to those doing food business was also within the power of the DMA.
But suddenly, a food authority was formed, whose board did not hold any meetings. Rules were not made, and the deputy director automatically determined the amount of fines and license fees, which is illegal. A business has to obtain a license from one authority at a time.
The union council is inactive, but unknown people have started looting in the name of trade license. The staff of the union councils are involved in corruption in their place. But no one is asking. We hope that Federal Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi and Chief Commissioner and Chairman CDA Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Randhawa will take notice.
