ISLAMABAD: A court on Friday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from allotting plots to its employees in different sectors of Islamabad. The decision was taken after a petition was filed in Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the process of allotment.
The stay order was granted by Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi of IHC, on the petition filed by Syed Liaqat Banori and Ghulam Mehmoob Khokhar. Both Banori and Khokhar are lawyers of Islamabad High Court.
Chairman CDA Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and secretary Ministry of Interior were made respondents in the petition.
Banori and Khokhar contended that the 20 per cent quota which CDA had reserved in the allotment of plots for their employees did not hold any legal justification.
One of the counsels for the defense argued that the city managers had also allotted 4,500 plots to their employees in the developed sectors which was against the law.
Banori maintained that CDA employees already have a five per cent prescribed quota as per CDA Land Disposal Regulation-2005. Even this allocation, according to the counsels was disproportionate and discriminatory for the others employees of the federal government. Therefore, the alleged allotment of 20 per cent by CDA for its employees was highly questionable.
The lawyer alleged that CDA had specified a 20 per cent quota for its employees in the Federal Government Housing Foundation including CDA Colony located in sector I-10/4. Moreover, he said that 10 per cent quota was being kept in pending allotments besides thousands of plots in sector I-8, E-12, D-12, G-13 and G-14.
He informed the court that 4500 plots were already given to the CDA employees in 2006. Moreover, during the time green belts were converted into commercials plots, for creating more space, badly affecting the environment of the city.
The petitioners argued that CDA was already facing a financial crunch and was getting funds for expenditures from the federal government which is public money. They contended that all residential plots in developed sectors shall be allotted through open auction.
“This is discrimination against the government servants of others department as some of them have never been granted any plots despite their services for the government,” he added.
He requested the court to declare the respondents’ act as discriminatory, unlawful, and against the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2011.
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