Eight years too late: CDA serves notice over expired K-P House lease

K-P govt has failed to renew contract for Islamabad premises since 2006.

PESHAWAR:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has taken stern notice of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s failure to renew the lease for K-P house, which expired in 2006. While most tenants would get evicted if they failed to renew a lease prior to its expiry, it took the CDA eight years to issue the provincial government a notice.

Interestingly, the CDA has posited in the notice that the agreement should be renewed or the lease will be cancelled, even though the lease has already expired.

The 90-kanal K-P House is used by K-P government officials during their stay in Islamabad, with the land leased out to the K-P government on a renewable contract.

A CDA official said while speaking to The Express Tribune that the contract expired during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal tenure. This was followed by five years under the Awami National Party government, in which it was also not renewed. Now, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government has to decide whether to follow in its predecessors’ footsteps or to pick up the tab..



“CDA officials had only conveyed the message verbally in the past,” said the official, requesting anonymity. “However, they sent a proper notice a few days ago with full details of the contract and the K-P Estate Office has also been informed.”

When contacted, officials from the K-P Estate Office said the issue had been discussed and brought to the notice of K-P Construction and Works (CW) officials, who tried to shift the burden back to the estate office.

“We have told the CW department to take the issue seriously, but they are now saying it is not their domain,” an official from the estate office said, adding that CW would be the final authority to sign the agreement. He said the issue had also been brought to the attention of the administration department, which told The Express Tribune that they have almost completed the necessary documentation and the lease will soon be renewed.

Media Adviser to the K-P Chief Minister Shiraz Paracha said the issue surfaced when the PTI government wanted to renovate the house and construct a new block.

“The issue has been pending since 2006. The two previous governments should have renewed the lease contract,” said Paracha. “Now that the relevant department has been informed, however, the problem will soon be resolved.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2014.