Cash-strapped CDA plans to auction more plots

Civic body asks employees to return govt-provided accommodation

ISLAMABAD: The cash-stricken Capital Development Authority (CDA) Board has decided to raise additional revenue by selling residential and commercial plots in different sectors next month.

Moreover, the civic body has decided to ask its employees to return allocated houses as it plans to modify the process for allotting these residences.

During a meeting at the CDA Headquarters on Friday, the CDA Board — the apex decision-making body of the civic body — decided to auction plots in different sectors from May 8 to 11.



Return govt accommodations

The CDA Board has also directed CDA employees to return the government-provided accommodations provided on CDA pool allotment.

Sources in the civic body told The Express Tribune that some CDA employees had received plots in Islamabad and had built houses on the land. However, others had rented out the land and were continuing to occupy government-provided quarters.

The CDA Board in 2002 had decided to adopt the Federal Government Accommodation Allocation Rules 2002 for giving houses to the agency’s employees from the CDA’s pool.

However, in numerous instances, some CDA employees had alleged that their cases for housing were not dealt with by the civic agency as per the rules. As a result, they had approached the ombudsman secretariat and even the Supreme Court with their grievances.

In the case filed by Muhammad Asfar, the apex court had ruled that in future all allotments would be made strictly on merit and on the basis of a general waiting list.

CDA had also assured the Federal Ombudsman that in future all allotments would be made purely on merit. In March 2017, a committee was formed to examine cases of allotting houses from the CDA’s pool in a transparent manner and as per rules.

“CDA now intends to make certain amendments in adoption and implementation of the rule to address some issues which are peculiar to the CDA’s allotment functions and streamline the process fairly,” a CDA source said, adding that the Member Administration had submitted proposals in this regard to the CDA Board for its approval.



According to these proposed recommendations, a fresh allotment of CDA accommodation would be made on the basis of seniority along with eligibility of the particular class or category of accommodation in the updated general waiting list.

The move comes a day after the civic agency suspended eight of its lower cadre staff for illegally occupying government-provided accommodation.

Moreover, the CDA Board directed private housing schemes in Zone-IV and Zone V to resubmit their proposals for building access roads leading to these societies.

The CDA Board also decided to lift the ban on house building advance and motor advance for CDA employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2017.