Senate sub-panel for action against NAECHS land grabbers

Seeks report of a detailed probe into all irregularities within 15 days

ISLAMABAD: A senate sub-panel on Monday called for conducting a detailed probe into irregularities and taking action against all those who  have usurped the rights of allottees of the National Assembly Employees Cooperative Housing Society (NAECHS).

This was directed during a meeting of Senate Functional Committee on Government Assurances’ sub-committee. The committee was convened with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Senator Fida Muhammad in the chair.

During Monday’s, the sub-panel took up the issue of plots allotted in the NAECHS, in Zone V of the federal capital in Chocha of Darwala Road. Fida noted that at the last meeting of the sub-committee, the NAECHS had been directed to provide a complete, authentic list of allottees so that sequence of precedence may be determined. The society had even promised to submit the required documents within a week but it failed to honour that commitment.

The PTI senator enquired about the reasons for this lax attitude and termed them mere delaying tactics to protect those involved from being taken to task.

He also took strong notice of the lack of progress on work to provide gas and electricity connections in the area.

The sub-committee was told that work on the provision of gas and electricity in the area was delayed because the layout plan of the society had been cancelled by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

However, officials from the CDA explained to the sub-committee that the LOP had been cancelled because they discovered that land which had been earmarked for a park and graveyard had been converted into commercial plots.

A probe had revealed that the developed plots of the society have been forcibly occupied despite the presence of guards. The sub-committee asserted that this indicates that there was some internal involvement or collusion which must be investigated thoroughly.

Fida stressed the need for conducting an internal inquiry into the matter and a list of all those involved along with designations and violations committed must be submitted to the sub-panel. He further asserted that responsibility needed to be affixed to ensure no such irregularities are committed in the future. He added that details of court references must be presented to the committee as well.

The sub-committee subsequently directed that a complete investigation of the case is conducted and a report must be submitted to the Committee, within 15 days, while Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary Ashfaq Ghumman will oversee the matter. Thereafter, a decision will be taken whether the case should be handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Senator Azam Khan Swati recommended that strong directions must be sent out from the sub-committee that original allottees of the society must be facilitated on priority, as several people have been ruined due to the injustice.

Further, the NAECHS was directed to provide a complete, authentic list of allottees so that the sequence of precedence may be determined.

Swati went on to assert that no project must commence without a layout plan from the CDA.

Allottees present in the meeting requested the convenor of the committee that compaction work should be carried out on plots for which possession has already been given to allottees, so that construction work may begin.

The committee meeting was attended by Senator Swati, Senator Abida Muhammad Azeem, Senator Professor Dr Mehr Taj Roghani and senior officers from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, CDA and Islamabad District Administration, NAECHS officials and other relevant officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.