ACE again summons Ghauri Town property dealers

Suspected land mafia members told to appear on June 28 with records

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has once again summoned Chaudhry Usman, the owner of two housing schemes located in Ghauri Town, on June 28 for an inquiry.

The department is probing the sale of plots without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the relevant authority.

ACE had previously summoned Usman as part of its inquiry into the matter but he had failed to appear. As a result, the summons had been issued again.

Sources said that the department has issued a notice to Usman to appear for the inquiry along with records and respond to their questions.

The sources further said that the department had received complaints that Usman, in connivance with Ghauri Town owner Raja Ali Akbar (whose name is included in schedule IV in Islamabad) along with Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, had allegedly defrauded several people of millions of rupees.

Further, they had started selling plots in Green Nest and Green Spire without first obtaining clearance from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

To further rob people, they had devised new illegal housing schemes. As part of the probe, the sources said that the department intends to question Akbar and Rehman.

Moreover, the federal interior ministry has also sought a report from law enforcement agencies about these fake housing societies in Islamabad.

In addition to filing cases against those who rob large sums of money from naive people, the cases could be sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Meanwhile, a senior official of the district administration told The Express Tribune that a scandal of re-selling 130 kanals of land in Ghauri Town Phase VII by the members of the land mafia.

In this regard, the revenue additional deputy commissioner has sought records of the matter to conduct a probe into the legitimacy of the society. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2020.