PHOTO: FILE
The Senate Sub-Committee on Cabinet Secretariat which met at the Parliament House on Friday. The committee, chaired by Senator Kulsoom Parveen, reviewed in detail laws and rules of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regarding housing authorities in the city and the amendments proposed for by the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA).
Islamabad Registrar Mohammad Ali told the committee that they had an Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan (ICAP) certified company audit housing societies in the capital. This audit, Ali said, had uncovered corruption worth over Rs12 billion in six housing societies of the city.
Giving a breakdown of the housing societies, he said that they found Rs7.5 billion worth of corruption in the Federal Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Rs2.56 billion in the Soan Garden Housing Society, Rs1.7billion in the Jammu Kashmir Society, Rs320million in the Senate Cooperative Housing Society, Rs670million in the OGDL housing society and Rs20million in the Garden Cooperative Housing Society.
Observing the alarming revelation, Senator Parveen remarked that those accused of corruption will not be allowed to participate in elections of the housing societies.
She added that CDA and ICT should provide them whatever information they have in this regards.
IB housing society
While it wages a war against terrorism, the Intelligence Bureau has been unable to prevent corruption in a housing society meant for its employees. Senator Hidayatullah presented public complaints about the Intelligence Bureau (IB) housing authority. He said that the bureau had acquired land for the society in Gulberg area of the city.
However, the senator lamented that while the IB specialized in countering terrorists, it was quite at sea against corruption.
Presenting the list of complaints, Senator Hidayatullah said that the management of the society was demanding dues from people without even sending a notice.
Moreover, those who had paid the full price of the plot from as far back as 2013, have yet to be granted possession of their property. Instead, these people are forced to fork out more money on one pretext or another. At this, the Islamabad Registrar Mohammad Ali said that if anyone has any complaint regarding any housing society, they can file a complaint with them, they will fix it within 60 days.
Senator Parveen directed IB to give a detailed briefing in the next hearing of the committee.
Lack of details
Meanwhile, Senator Parveen expressed her displeasure after ICTA failed to provide the reports she had asked for in the previous hearing.
“Provide the required information in the next hearing of the committee,” she said as she warned institutions of action if they tried to do any illegal work.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th, 2018.
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