Plots to deputationists: Apex court bars CDA from allotting plots

In another case, SC seeks reply in alleged corruption in Pindi journalists’ housing society


Hasnaat Malik July 29, 2016
The applicant has contended that millions of rupees losses had been caused to the exchequer due to the illegal sale and purchase of plots as no audit has been conducted by the society for the last six years. PHOTO: anheimblog

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday barred the civic agency from allotting plots to officials working as deputationists.

Advocate Zulfiqar Khalid Maluka, appearing on behalf of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) ex-Employees Welfare Association, told the court that most of the top managers of the civic agency were on deputation and allotment of plots to them was illegal. He said that most officers join the civic agency on deputation to get plots.

The CDA is currently offering plots to the officials including the deputationists through bidding.

Advocate Maluka argued that even those deputationists, who join the CDA for a brief time, were being given plots worth of millions of rupees.

He contended that the Supreme Court 2013 judgment has clearly laid down criteria for the deputationists. He said that according to the Civil Servant Act the term deputation means transitory or temporary.

Muhammad Nazir Javaid, representing the CDA, said that any officer, who has a 10-year service in a government department, was entitled for a plot. He said that any officer, who joins the CDA on deputation one month prior to completion of 10 years service in his/her parent department, was entitled to get a plot.

Supreme Court judge Ejaz Afzal, who headed the two-judge bench, which heard the case regarding allotment of plots to the deputationists in CDA, questioned if a civil judge joins the civic agency on deputation and serves there for one year, will he be entitled to a plot? The CDA counsel replied that if an officer has a 10-year service in a government department, he was entitled to.

Advocate Maluka said that after the Islamabad High Court judgment, the CDA administration prepared a plan to allot plots to the deputationists. He further said that in 2005, the CDA allotted plots to about 200 officers before the interior ministry cancelled it.

After hearing the arguments, the bench granted stay against allotment of plots to the deputationists and adjourned the case for two months.

SC seeks reply on alleged corruption in journalists’ housing society:

The Supreme Court’s human rights cell (HRC) has sought a reply from the Punjab Cooperative Housing Societies’ registrar over alleged corruption in the Rawalpindi Press Club Cooperative Housing Society till August 18.

Senior journalist Attaur Rehman Tahir had moved an application with the HRC stating that illegal sale and purchase of plots was on-going in the Rawalpindi Press Club Cooperative Housing Society.

The applicant has contended that millions of rupees losses had been caused to the exchequer due to the illegal sale and purchase of plots as no audit has been conducted by the society for the last six years.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2016.

 

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