CDA high-ups summoned over land controversy

Officials seek reason for demolition of building constructed by relatives of two MNAs.

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Shuakat Ullah and Member National Assembly (MNA) Noorulhaq Qadri have summoned the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman to resolve the controversy over a piece of land near Park Road in Chak Shahzad.

The directives were issued after CDA’s enforcement directorate demolished a single-story building constructed by relatives of the Federal Minister and MNA near Park Road. While the relatives claim that the building was contracted on privately owned land, CDA Planning Director General Ghulam Sarwar Sindhu said the building encroached on land acquired by the civic body.

CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and other officials of the civic body were summoned to the Minister’ Enclave on Monday night.

Planning DG Sindhu said that the building was illegally constructed and demolished on his instructions. He said that he had received phone calls from ministers to allow construction of the building, “But I refused. It is our duty to protect public assets at every cost,” he added. He said that the on intervention of the federal minister, CDA has asked the land revenue officer for demarcation of the land and in the meeting, the minister and MNA will be, “Briefed about the factual position for their satisfaction”.

Despite several attempts, the Safron Minister and the MNA could not be contacted for their versions till the filing of this report.

Meanwhile, a meeting of CDA officials was held here at Jinnah Convention Centre to review the progress on Park Enclave, the civic body’s newly launched housing scheme. A CDA spokesperson informed that the civic body has received “overwhelming response” from the public for booking of plots in Park Enclave.

The amount of applications we have received has exceeded our expectations and the deadline for submission of applications has been extended at the request of overseas Pakistanis interested in the scheme.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2011.