ISLAMABAD:
A parliamentary body on Monday found flaws in the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) new building bylaws under which construction of additional floors on new buildings has been allowed. The panel also observed that CDA bore losses of billions of rupees over the year due to its “lax attitude” to recover money on such constructions.
The Senate Sub-Committee on Cabinet which met here on Monday with Senator Safdar Abbasi in the chair, was attended by CDA chairman to discuss the irregularities in recovering charges for extra-construction.
Earlier, Auditor General of Pakistan had made these findings public in its annual audit report.
The audit of the civic authority reveals that CDA bore losses of Rs340 million due to “short recovery” on account of additional storeys.
Citing an example, the AGP said that the civic agency did not recover dues for allowing construction of six additional storeys, from 4th to 10th on a plot measuring 21,000 sq.yards allotted to Pakistan Red Crescent Society. The auditor report says this resulted in non-recovery of Rs275.10 million. Clarifying the civic agency’s stance, an official had said that the society had applied for a waiver of extra charges, on the construction of additional floors. But sources informed the Express Tribune that the auditor insisted on recovery of the amount.
Moreover, the AGP noted that the civic agency’s Building Control Directorate neither removed nor penalised unauthorised construction of Petroleum House in G-5/2, KRL Building in G-9/1 and Federal Flood Commission in G-5/1. These constructions were made without prior approval of building plan and resulted in non-recovery of Rs14.45 million. Similarly, the approval of a building plan of a marriage hall at G-6 Markaz, construction on plot No 2-E and 3-J at I-9 Markaz and plot No 3-E at G-10 Markaz resulted in non-recovery of Rs12.10 million.
However, CDA chief Imtiaz Inayat Elahi told the sub-committee that irregularities were committed before his tenure and previously a total of 166 additional floors had been added to buildings in different sectors of the city. Around 117 of these have taken place with CDA’s approval and 49 have been built without it.
Of the 49 illegally constructed additional stories, 25 have already been legalised, while cases of the remaining are pending. The representatives of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ICCI) told the Senate panel that CDA did not announce a comprehensive policy due to which the pending cases could not be decided.
The committee expressed concern over a drastic reduction in the fee charged by the authority to allow additional constructions. Presently, construction of an additional storey on existing commercial buildings is allowed on payment of Rs2,700 per sq.yards in the I-8 and F sectors. The charges were Rs7,000 per square yards in 2002.
The rate for ‘G’ and ‘I’ sectors (except I-8) is Rs1,800 per sq.yards, against Rs4,000 earlier. Similarly, the charges to add an additional storey to a flat are Rs1,350 and Rs900 per sq.yards in F-11 and G-11, respectively.
The parliamentary panel observed that CDA’s building control, enforcement and designing wings have been “silent spectators” over the years, allowing construction of residential and commercial buildings without implementing the relevant bylaws.
According to the bylaws, “Any construction started/carried out without prior approval of the authority shall be liable to be removed at the risk and cost of the owner(s) or imposition of penalty as given in the rules.”
The Islamabad Residential Sectors Zoning (building bylaws) Regulations was revised in 2005 extending it to “all private and public land/plots in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) except those in the Diplomatic Enclave or mentioned specifically.”
But despite having these powers, CDA is reluctant to take action against unapproved constructions, the parliamentary panel observed. The committee added that the situation is much alarming as CDA is not serious in pursuing the cases.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2011.
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