ISLAMABAD  - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday directed interior secretary, chief commissioner Islamabad, chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) and inspector general of Islamabad police to submit a comprehensive report in a petition related to the removal of slums from the federal capital.
A single member bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui directed the top city bosses to submit the report till April 23.
During the hearing of the case, all the four respondents appeared before the court. On the last hearing, the same bench had directed the respondents to appear in person and apprise what steps had been taken for removal of the slums.
On Wednesday, Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar representing the respondents sought some time from the court. Acceding to his request, the bench directed him to submit the report on the next hearing of the case.
The IHC bench directed that interior secretary would supervise the operation while all the other departments would assist in this matter.
Meanwhile, some 15 petitioners also became party in the case and claimed that they had been allotted plots some 30 years ago in sector I-10 area where the slum residents were illegal occupants. These petitioners contended before the court that they had paid development charges and other expenses to the CDA after allocation of the plots but they were still deprived of the plots.
The counsel for slum residents, Farrukh Dal Advocate, maintained before the court that the authorities could not deprive slum dwellers of the right of housing that was a universally accepted fundamental right. He argued that the residents might be resettled somewhere else.
Hearing the same case on February 08, the same IHC bench had directed the CDA to remove illegal slums established in the federal capital in one-month time.
On Wednesday, the court conducted the hearing in the matter of Azizur Rehman and 12 others who contended before the court that the authorities had been trying to demolish their houses in violation of their fundamental rights.
The petitioners argued that adequate housing was a universal and fundamental right and the petitioners had been residing along with their families in the slums situated at sector 1-10/1 for more than 40 years.
They told the court that CDA was threatening the petitioners and their families to evict their homes; otherwise, the civic body would remove them.
"The eviction move is legally questionable as a National Housing Policy passed in 2001 applied to land in Islamabad, ensured the 'process of regularisation and up-gradation of the pre-1985 katchi abadis' and shall 'continue as per current policy' and that there shall be no eviction till katchi abadi residents are relocated as per resettlement plans," maintained the petitioners.
Separately, in another case, managing director (MD) Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) while appearing in person told the same IHC bench that general manager transport, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), had been suspended on corruption charges.
In this regard, a petition was moved in the IHC by IESCO officials that accused the GM IESCO of embezzling Rs 76.6 million. A departmental inquiry was initiated against him last year but the high officials withheld the inquiry. However, the inquiry was again initiated on IHC's orders and proceedings are under way, he added.
Earlier, an IHC bench had directed the power supply company to initiate probe against the official. When the inquiry was not initiated, the petitioners moved a contempt of court application.
The IHC bench directed the respondent to submit inquiry report with the Registrar Office of IHC within 90 days and disposed of the matter.
On the last hearing in the contempt of court application, Justice Shaukat had directed MD PEPCO to appear before the court in person.