Wants every correspondence whether internal or external, notes and files related to the under construction hotel. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Kamran Lashari, in an application filed under the CDA Member Planning, has sought access to each and every correspondence whether internal or external, notes and files for the Grand Hyatt Hotel project from the date of its inception.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is currently conducting an inquiry into alleged corruption in the project and had on May 2, 2017, filed an FIR against Lashari along with some members of the CDA Board and some other officials of the civic authority in the case.
“There is no record available in the CDA in which CDA Board or CDA chairman had approved by-laws for BNP,” a CDA official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
In the beginning of 2004, the CDA had advertised to auction land for the construction of a five-star hotel on Constitution Avenue.
The authority, though, had received less than encouraging response from investors. The civic body again advertised to sell land in late 2004 after relaxing some of its terms and conditions. Following the second advertisement, nine prospective investors, including seven who had been prequalified by CDA, expressed their intention to participate in the bidding process.
The official said that after prequalification, PMO Director Dr Faisal allegedly sent a set of relaxed by-laws to bidders which were different from those which were approved by the then chairman.
Even prospective bidders were sent copies of by-laws a day before the relaxed terms and conditions were approved.
“It means the bidders were free to build what they wanted since criteria under the by-laws were relaxed with no restriction on the number of storeys,” the official said.
The relaxed terms and conditions were approved by the CDA chairman on the request of CDA Member Planning and on the recommendations of the then member finance.
In 2005, the land measuring 13.5 acres situated on Constitution Avenue was leased out for the construction of the five-star luxury hotel to the BNP Group (a consortium of four companies) with for a period of 99 years.
On July 29, 2016, the CDA cancelled the 99-year lease for the 13.45-acre plot, located adjacent to the Convention Centre, which was handed over to BNP group through an auction on March 9, 2005.
A single-member bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah had dismissed BNP’s appeal against the lease termination on March 3, 2017. Following the decision, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had directed FIA and office of Advocate General to take up the case with IHC for vacating the stay order in respect of FIA’s inquiry.
The BNP group, though, had filed an ICA against a single bench’s decision of cancelling the land lease of the OCA’s under-construction building – meant for the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Later on April 27, 2017, the IHC restrained the FIA from arresting former CDA chairman Lashari and other former officials of the civic agency for their alleged involvement in extending “undue favours” to owners of the One Constitution Avenue (OCA) building. The FIA, though, was allowed to investigate these officials.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2017.
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