On Wednesday, a senate committee ordered Islamabad’s civic agency to cease building a road from Shah Allah Ditta that crosses the Margalla Hills National Park and connects the capital to Haripur. The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change meeting issued this instruction.
Chairwoman of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Rina Saeed Khan briefed the committee that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) initiated the project without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The chairwoman later quoted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rulings prohibiting development in conservation areas. She alleged that CDA is building the road for real estate, not local communities and visitors.
The committee also voiced worries about the construction of a golf course on the land. The chairwoman apprised members of the National Park Boundary demarcation. She said that CDA had allocated 138 acres for the golf course, encroaching on Margalla Hills National Park.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman stressed the necessity for a clear boundary to stop encroachments. She also discussed her efforts to stop the construction of a road through the national park by contacting relevant officials.
IWMB officials said that despite the reservations CDA is proceeding with the road construction. The committee advised stopping illegal development immediately.
CDA officials said that work had begun on an existing route in the national park. In response to golf course concerns, CDA authorities claimed that the 138-acre area was part of the Chauntra community, not the national park.
IWMB officials disagreed with that statement. The committee received a detailed briefing on the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) golf course building near Sinyari hamlet.
Source: Pro Pakistani