The recent announcement by the CDA Chairman Capt.(Retd.) Noor-ul-Amin Mengal to develop a Sports Enclave at Shah Allah Ditta has drawn public skepticism hinting at environmental damage and encouraging legalization of illegal residential developments in the Margalla Hills National Park area.
The incumbent CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal has recently announced the development of a Sports Enclave at Shah Allah Ditta. The sports enclave is to provide healthy outdoor sporting and recreational opportunities for the residents of Islamabad. However, this announcement has raised a public alarm for the environmental protection of the Margalla Hills National Park from illegal developments and fuel emissions pollution.
The announcement has been made on the official twitter account of CDA. The proposed Sports Enclave at Shah Allah Ditta will be built as a multi-purpose stadium. Various sporting facilities including Volley Ball, Cricket, Rock Climbing, Zip-Line, and more will be offered at the multi-purpose stadium. The Capital Development Authority has allocated 300 Kanals of state-land for the development of the Shah Allah Ditta Multi-purpose Stadium. The exact location of the proposed Sports Enclave has not been made public by the Capital Development Authority. The CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal also announced the rehabilitation of Trail 8 on Margalla Hills. The Trail 8 will also connect the Shah Allah Ditta Caves, also known as Buddha Caves, all the way to the Buddha’s Stupa. However, the environmental preservation concerns of the public remain.
Netizens have criticized this announcement by the CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal for the development of a Sports Enclave at Shah Allah Ditta. One Riffat Durrani criticized this announcement as destructive to the natural beauty of Islamabad.
“Why to destroy the natural landscape of the cave and make it a dump yard of cement and concrete???
Let the natural beauty of Islamabad prevail!! Stop it !! You have already turned this lush green city into a sheer mess in terms of buildings ,traffic and lawlessness!”
Another tweeter, Khalid Hussain, hinted at relocating the Sports Enclave.
“Why destroy the natural beauty of Shah Allah Ditta? There is plenty of vacant land near the new airport. Make this sports city (facility) there.”
Earlier reported in May 2022 the CDA had announced the development of Islamabad’s second largest park spanning across 155 acres or 1240 Kanals to the north of sector D-12. The proposed park would assumably lie at the foothills of the Margalla Hills National Park facing sector D-12. There are already illegal residential developments around this area that have caused destruction to the Margalla Hills National Park. This gives rise to public skepticism of encouraging legalization of illegal residential societies around the proposed park area. The public rationale being the choice of an isolated location for a large-scale park instead of a central location like the Fatima Jinnah Park at F-9. The CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal has not been able to justify his rationale for the location of the proposed 155 acres second largest park of Islamabad in a corner of Islamabad city.
Umayr Sahlan Masud highlighted problems with the CDA planning pointing at the already declared 148 acres (reported 155 Acres) of Islamabad’s second largest park in close vicinity.
“Wasnt @CDAthecapital building a 148 Acre park in the C-12/C-13 area? if that is being built , then instead of the cricket ground build this multipurpose sports enclave. Otherwise please stop putting bandages on the issue of encroachments on the national park.”
Kamran Ch advocated for preservation of national parks over sports facilities.
“This move threatens precious national National Park land , putting sports facilities over our environment. Let’s advocate for preserving our green spaces, and prioritizing oxygen for a healthier future!”
Planning decisions by the CDA Chairman Capt.(Retd.) Noor-ul-Amin Mengal to regularize development in adjacent areas of the illegal developments in the Margalla Hills National Parks area have attracted protest by the public. The public sees the choice of locations for these leisure and sports facilities to justify and regularize the illegal developments. The public opening of Margalla Avenue has attracted a lot of public attention on developments in this Margalla facing residential areas of Zone 1 that include sectors D-12, C-13, C-14, C-15, and C-16.
The illegal housing societies in Islamabad Zone 3 include the following as listed at the CDA website:
- Al Rayan Society
- Ali Town
- Arcadia City
- Aryan Enclave, Korang Road, Banni Galla
- Green Hills
- Green Meadows (North Ridge) Housing Scheme
- Major Makhdoom Society
The public has criticized the CDA Chairman of running away from solving the real residential problems of Islamabad city. This includes delaying construction and possession of residential sectors including E-12, I-14, and C-13. One Mehboob Malik expressed his frustration at CDA’s neglect towards provision of basic civic facilities in CDA sector I-14 with this tweet.
“Koi sector I-14 ka bhi sochay ga. Yahan tou basic facilities tak nahi hain. Pani, Street lights, grounds, schools, Markaz, Markets, Roads, Telephone, Internet, Waste Removal, Streets cleaning, Kuch bhi nahi hay. Tax CDA leta hay. Facilities Kay Naam per Kuch bhi nahi.”
Another tweeter regretted that the CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal was neglecting the development of E-12 that was behind delivery for over three decades now in this tweet.
“The Chairman should have visited the stopped development work in E 12 pending for the past 35 instead of opening new projects in C sectors and shah Allah ditta.”
One Mr. Shahid Hussain drew the attention of the CDA Chairman to avoid turning Islamabad into Karachi city.
“Try squeezing the haphazard expansion of city thereby protecting the Potohar region. Otherwise be prepared for a second fully environmentally polluted Karachi.”
It is obvious that the residents of Islamabad city and responsible environment activists are concerned with the consequences of tampering with the natural balance of the Margalla Hills National Park. Making access to the Shah Allah Ditta Caves easy by road will essentially enable the flood of vehicles resultantly increasing fuel emissions within the Margalla Hills National Park. The public is also skeptical about the decision of CDA Chairman Capt.(Retd.) Noor-ul-Amin Mengal for his choice of location for outdoor recreational facilities in Margalla Hills National Park to provide technical cover to the illegal residential and commercial developments in the area. It seems that the Chairman CDA will have to share a convincing rational for choosing to prioritize the development of a Sports Enclave at Shah Allah Ditta and a 155 acres park tucked away in a corner of Islamabad over long delayed key residential sectors of Islamabad.
Please share any related information, including videos and pictures, about Shah Allah Ditta village, the Shah Allah Ditta Caves and environmental degradation of the Margalla Hills National Park in the comments section below or email us at info@gharmubarak.com .
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