CDA Road Project No More? Islamabad Wildlife Management Board Gets Control of Margalla Hills

The Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2023, passed by parliament last week, has granted Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) the power to impose penalties on organizations going against environmental laws.

The board required the biological diversity and legislative inadequacies legal framework to combat illegal operations in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

IWMB chairwoman Rina Saeed Khan said on social media that the act is a gift to the twin cities. She commended the former Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman for being vocal about the issue and facilitating the legislation.

Senator Rehman tweeted that the bill will preserve MHNP, which is under persistent development pressure. This act will protect nature and biodiversity in Islamabad in line with the best practices of global biodiversity protection.

Rina S. Khan told Dawn that the law allowed the IWMB to collect fees and levies and enforce national park and wildlife restrictions, as is the case in all provinces including AJK.

It also established a transparent process for project approval in the MHNP and buffer zone and enforced heavy fines for violators, notably for pet owners of endangered and exotic animals.

Alexander Road Project

The formation of the new legislation comes immediately after the senate committee ordered Islamabad’s civic agency to cease the construction work on Alexander Road which starts from Shah Allah Ditta, connecting Margalla Hills National Park to Haripur.

Chairwoman IWMB briefed the committee that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) initiated the project without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The chairwoman later quoted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rulings prohibiting development in conservation areas. She alleged that CDA is building the road for real estate, not local communities and visitors.

CDA officials said that work had begun on an existing route in the national park. In response to golf course concerns, CDA authorities claimed that the 138-acre area was part of the Chauntra community, not the national park.

With IWMB and CDA continuously locking horns, the fate of Alexander Road seems uncertain.