Air University benefits from CDA’s pliable rules

Granted Rs2.9 billion waiver by civic body on land acquisition.

ISLAMABAD:

Air University (AU) successfully got around Rs3 billion waived off against a piece of land purchased from the cash-starved Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The 70 acres (338,800 square yards) in sector H-11/2 was allotted to the university at Rs4,500 per square yard for the construction of university campus in 2009, instead of the Rs13,100 per square yard fixed by the estate directorate of CDA, reports revealed.

Rejecting CDA’s stance, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) stated in CDA’s audit report that premium rate of institutional plot in sector-H was fixed and approved by the civic body at Rs13,100 per square yard for either public or private institutes.

Furthermore, the AGP observed that AU is running on a commercial basis and charges as much fees as a private university. Hence, the AGP stressed, the university should be treated as a private institute and charged accordingly. The auditor stressed early recovery of difference in cost, a recommendation that to date remains unimplemented by the CDA.

CDA officials, in their reply to the annual audit 2010-11, said that the land was allotted to AU at rates prescribed for public sector institutes on the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) request. HEC on October 29, 2009 had also requested the government to charge AU land rates prescribed for public sector educational institutions on the plea that the university was purely a public sector organisation established under Federal Charter, Air University Ordinance # C7 of 2002. The officials noted that the land premium was reduced from Rs7,400 per square yard to Rs4,500 per square yard on intervention of the federal government.

Despite receiving a huge piece of land from CDA at a throwaway price, the university is not ready to give financial relaxation or compensation to it students.

Its website clearly states, “Students who fail to pay fees within the stipulated periods will have their names struck off the university roles. A student whose name has been thus struck off but who is otherwise eligible to continue his/her candidature will be reinstated only after he/she has settled all outstanding fees/fines and paid re-admission fee as applicable at the time.”

Established in the foothills of Margallas in 2002, Air University is spread over an area of 13 acres on the south east corner of E-9 (PAF Complex). The university has more than 2,100 students enrolled in engineering, avionics and aeronautics, administrative sciences, social sciences and humanities, basic and applied sciences.

Bilquis College, College for Women, Air War College, Fazaia Degree College and Fazaia College of Education for Women are affiliated institutions of AU.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2011.