The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament noted on Wednesday that irregularities are rife in the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
The committee which acts as a watchdog over spending from the national exchequer summoned a report from CDA on the errant construction of nine phases of Ghauri Town.
The PAC meeting held under the chairmanship of Rana Tanveer Hussain reviewed the audit objections of the CDA for the year 2019-20.
A briefing was also given on irregularities in the construction of a shopping mall on the plot reserved for a public dispensary in Sector F-7. Audit officials said that the NAB inquiry in this regard was underway.
CDA Chairman Amir Ali Ahmed told the committee that the plot was allocated for a dispensary. However, later the status of the plot was changed.
The committee member Sheraz Mehmood asked why NAB was delaying the matter. Another member Sheikh Rohail said that construction of the mall should have been halted when it was being built as it was not done in a day.
Noor Alam Khan asked why CDA closes its eyes at the time when illegal structures are being erected and inquired the names of the officials in power at the time of the mall’s construction.
Committee member Hina Rabbani Khar said that many slums were demolished due to irregularities. She asked what the interior ministry was doing about the illegal construction of shopping malls. Interior secretary said that the matter was in court.
CDA chairman said that if something was declared illegal, like slums, it could not be regularised. He added that NAB had also filed a reference against the officials involved in plot scams, while the violation of building a mall on dispensary’s plot was done before 2014.
NAB officials told the committee that they have filed a reference against five suspects while their statements were being recorded.
PAC member Munza Hassan said that a nominal fine of Rs100,000 a year is the reason why people dare to develop illegal construction. They pay the fine, like a fee to continue making much higher profits form the unauthorised development. She asserted that CDA itself did not want to award punishment and handed over the case to NAB for the delay and put everything in NAB’s account.
Read Illegal loggers pose as CDA staff to ‘steal’ trees
CDA chairman said that they would not regularise the shopping mall. He added that the board had transferred the plot and it could change it. Ahmed admitted that it was a wrong decision and the entire process was wrong.
The member Syed Hussain Tariq asked how many CDA officials were found involved after the inquiry to which the chairman replied that four retired officers were involved in it and they have been arrested. The committee deferred the matter for further consideration.
Ghauri Town
Further, the panel was briefed by the auditors on the issue of unauthorised construction of nine phases of Ghauri Town Islamabad.
Mushahid Hussain Syed said that the matter was going on since 1996. He asked the officials to apply the Bani Gala model on Ghauri Town as well.
Sherry Rehman expressed that violations had been taking place since 1996. She commented that if unauthorised construction in wildlife park area of Bani Gala could be regularised, Ghauri Town could be regularised too.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the enforcement department of CDA was weak. Malik Amir Dogar inquired when the master plan will be made. He added that Islamabad was full of encroachments and questioned if there would be any action against it. The committee demanded a report from the CDA chairman in this regard.
The committee meeting also reviewed the issue pertaining to the irregular restoration of the layout plan of the Park View City Housing Scheme cancelled earlier.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2021.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ