Senators livid at forged dispensary receipts

CDA told to submit report on cases, FIRs registered against illegal housing societies

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers in the upper house of Parliament were livid on Wednesday after they discovered that someone was impersonating them to withdraw medicine from the dispensary.

“I have yet to requisition even a single tablet of Panadol from the dispensary but there are receipts in my office for medicines issued in my name,” said Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat Chairman Senator Talha Mehmood.

Senator Shahi Syed disclosed that he too had found forged medicine receipts in his name.

The committee directed that any receipt for medicines should be first verified from the respective lawmaker.

Illegal housing societies

The committee also took up the matter of the measures adopted by the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) against the construction of high-rise buildings and illegal housing societies in the capital.

Senator Mehmood said that several high-rise buildings have been built illegally along the road leading to the New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA), adding that work on these projects was proceeding at break-neck speeds.  He lamented that the authorities do not crackdown when work on these projects start.

“The ICTA and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) should stop such work as soon as it starts. Acting after people have invested in building a house on a plot is useless,” Mehmood remarked.

He sought details of all the cases sent to the National Accountability Bureau and all the first information reports registered against these illegal high-rises and housing societies.

The committee’s chairman further directed that a dual carriageway should be built in Sector D-12 of the capital, while a flyover should be built over the graveyard in the area.

Briefing the committee, ICT Deputy Registrar Maryam Mumtaz said that they had halted elections for the Jammu-Kashmir Housing Society. However, the patrons of the society managed to obtain a stay order from the court.  “The ICT does not have a legal department, hence officials have to personally appear before the court,” she complained.

By-laws being implemented

Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz, while appearing before the committee, explained that the high-rises being built along the Islamabad Expressway predate his election to office.

However, he assured the senators that the building by-laws were being strictly implemented.  CDA Member Administration Asad Mehboob Kiani said that a special committee of the Senate was looking after matters in Sectors H-13 and E-11.

However, Senator Kamil Ali Agha pointed out that several hotels, plazas, marriage halls and high-rises have been constructed along the Islamabad Expressway.  He asked the civic body to conduct a fresh survey and submit a report to the committee.

No NoC

Senator Agha also brought up the issue of the no-objection certificate for a charity hospital being built by the sister of former Senate chairman Mian Mohammad Soomro in the capital.

Kiani told the committee that the matter was being processed and will be resolved soon.

At this, Agha asked the mayor to personally supervise the matter to take the matter into his own hands, public representatives have made the report on which the mayor assures the resolution of the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2017.