Top court orders CDA to finalise katchi abadi regularisation policy in four weeks

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to formulate a policy for the regularisation of informal settlements within four weeks, during a hearing of a case concerning katchi abadis (slums) in the capital.

FCC Chief Justice Ameenuddin Khan, heading the bench alongside Justice Arshad Hussain Shah, said the court was giving the CDA a “final opportunity” to present a policy framework.

During the hearing, lawyer Faisal Siddiqi, representing residents of kachi abadis, told the court he was ready to present arguments but would also submit a response to the CDA’s report.

The chief justice questioned what relief the petitioners were seeking and whether any land had been specifically allocated for such settlements in Islamabad.

Siddiqi argued that housing policies since 1995 had recognised informal settlements, saying the case was not a plea for sympathy but a demand for legal rights.

He said that despite policies introduced in 2001 and 2016, kachi abdi residents continued to face evictions.

An additional attorney general told the court that informal settlements were not originally part of Islamabad’s master plan, though they were later acknowledged in policy frameworks and court rulings.

The court observed that the issue appeared to lie in the implementation of existing policies.

A CDA counsel said misuse of allotted land and rapid population growth in such settlements were complicating regularisation efforts, adding that more than 400,000 people were living in informal settlements in the capital.

He said that a policy could be approved at the CDA’s next board meeting and attributed delays to administrative changes.

The court adjourned the hearing for four weeks, directing the CDA to finalise and present a comprehensive regularisation policy.