ISLAMABAD- The non-conforming use of residential apartments in the federal capital is going unchecked despite serious security threats posed by the phenomenon. Presently, there are 845 residential houses in the city hosting commercial activities, out of which 206 are used for private schools, 299 for offices of government or private organizations, 112 for guest houses, 53 for embassies and foreign missions while 175 houses are used for other commercial activities like beauty parlors, gyms and so on, informed a high official of the Authority. Most of the residential apartments used for non-residential purposes are situated in the posh sectors of the city, sectors of the F and E series. The factors behind the tendency of violation of the CDA building bylaws are the unaffordable costs of land as well as the lack of designated areas for various kinds of commercial activities in the city, said an official of the Capital Development Authority, who requested anonymity. He said the civic body's directorate of building control had referred the cases of the violations to the Deputy Commissioner CDA, who had imposed heavy fines over a number of violators besides cancellation of plots in some cases. However, he said controlling the violation was impossible because of the involvement of influential figures in most of the cases. The commercial use of residential houses was not only posing security threats but was also creating a number of headaches for the residents of the areas where the violation was occurring. It has been observed that dwellers of the houses in close vicinity to the foreign embassies and mission have to suffer persistently because of the security arrangements made for the same. The schools and hostels situated in residential areas not only increases pressure over the civic facilities provided in the area, but also produce hurdles in the mobility of vehicular traffic as hundreds of vehicles entered and left the area during the times of opening and closing of the schools. A resident of G-9 sector, where private hostels can be observed in each and every street, said that the hostels were creating headaches for the residents. Students of these hostels used to stroll in the streets day and night, which are creating serious problems for us in terms of our privacy and security, he added.