Black goats in CDA fear losing graft income

Justice Siddiqui says CDA is deliberately not establishing the National Bus Terminal (NBT) in the capital

ISLAMABAD: Five years after the civic body had first decided to build a central bus terminal in the capital, it seems the corruption of some in the authority have delayed its construction.

In an order from the Islamabad High Court, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui stated that the that CDA was deliberately not establishing the National Bus Terminal (NBT) in the capital since it may deprive officials of the civic body of ‘monthlies’ and ‘gratification’.

The orders were passed on Thursday while hearing a petition filed by the Transport Owners and Passengers’ Welfare Association against illegal bus stands and other encroachment operating on green belts at Faizabad with permission from the CDA.

“I have no doubt in my mind that with the establishment of NBT in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), many employees of CDA may be deprived of their monthlies and illegal gratification,” stated Justice Siddiqui.

While taking the bull by its horns, Justice Siddiqui added: “I am certain that in establishing National Bus Terminal, officials of CDA themselves are a hurdle and not any person(s).”

Subsequently, the court ordered the CDA chairman to furnish a report about what steps they had taken to build the NBT since a resolution to the effect was passed by the CDA Board on December 7, 2012.

The CDA board had decided to allocate 31.03 acres of land for wagon-stands, bus terminals and stopovers in the ICT.  “A period of almost five years has passed, but no steps have been taken to turn that project into reality,” Justice Siddiqui noted.

He went on to observe “with great concern” that most anti-encroachment operations of the civic body had been focused on people hailing from the lower middle class.

“I have yet to witness any achievement of CDA against coming major project or against the property of some influential person,” he observed.

Astonishingly, the court noted that the CDA Municipal Administration Director Ali Sufyan had made “false statements before the court”. As a result of which, the court has now started contempt of court proceedings against him.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2017.