The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is demolishing kiosks (cabins/stalls) in Islamabad and hundreds of these have already been removed on the Islamabad High Court’s orders. But the fact of the matter is these kiosks are licensed.
However, the court on July 3 dismissed the petitions of kiosks owners and permitted CDA to continue the operation against licensed cabins, saying the CDA neither made a law nor took the board’s approval for establishing kiosks.
But there are some questions: is there no concept of kiosks and street food in the world? Are there no such stalls or vendors in the developed and planned cities like in New York and Paris? If there are, had they been approved through a master plan? A simple Google search will solve the mystery.
And even more importantly, it was the CDA which firstly issued these licences but is now demolishing the kiosks. Why? What is the sin of these kiosk owners who invested in these and paid for the utilities after necessary payments to the city’s management agency? Where will the poor workers and those from lower-middle class go for food?
Here are some facts that explain the issue and its background.
There was a Special Committee on Allotment of Cabins/Kiosks, which directed the CDA to restore all the 485 licensed kiosks along with some other suggestions for better regulations.
Here is what the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) had to say on the issue.
The CDA’s “Summary of the Board Policy Regarding Restoration/Location/ Design of Kiosk etc in Islamabad”
CDA
A letter about restoration of Kiosk No 223
A sample of the licences issued by MCI issued
However, the court on July 3 dismissed the petitions of kiosks owners and permitted CDA to continue the operation against licensed cabins, saying the CDA neither made a law nor took the board’s approval for establishing kiosks.
But there are some questions: is there no concept of kiosks and street food in the world? Are there no such stalls or vendors in the developed and planned cities like in New York and Paris? If there are, had they been approved through a master plan? A simple Google search will solve the mystery.
And even more importantly, it was the CDA which firstly issued these licences but is now demolishing the kiosks. Why? What is the sin of these kiosk owners who invested in these and paid for the utilities after necessary payments to the city’s management agency? Where will the poor workers and those from lower-middle class go for food?
Here are some facts that explain the issue and its background.
There was a Special Committee on Allotment of Cabins/Kiosks, which directed the CDA to restore all the 485 licensed kiosks along with some other suggestions for better regulations.
Here is what the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) had to say on the issue.
The CDA’s “Summary of the Board Policy Regarding Restoration/Location/ Design of Kiosk etc in Islamabad”
CDA
A letter about restoration of Kiosk No 223
A sample of the licences issued by MCI issued