Selling sites for filling stations: Court seeks report from civic agency

Petitoner contests criteria for leasing filling stations’ sites.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought a report from the capital’s civic agency boss over its plan to auction sites for filling stations.

The civic agency is planning to lease out land for seven petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in the city.

The IHC’s newly appointed judge, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, asked CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and the director project management to submit the report in two weeks.

Dr Abid Mehmood has moved the court challenging the auction plan. He was also refused by the civic agency from participating in the auction, in which only oil companies were allowed.

The civic agency on November 2 advertised in media its plan of auctioning seven sites for constructing filling stations on 33-year lease in E-11, G-11/1, G-8/1, F-10, F-11, Ibn-i-Sina Road, G-9/2 and G-8/2.

The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that only oil marketing companies had been allowed to bid, which he called discriminatory.

He said that in the past, his client participated in a different auction bid held by CDA after fulfilling their requirements. However this time, only national and multinational oil marketing companies were invited to apply directly in the auction.

He contended that departments are bound to announce open bidding in a transparent manner without accommodating persons of their choice.

Khan informed the court that his client approached the respondents and requested them to remove this illegal and unlawful restriction but they did not pay any heed.

The civic agency is trying to accommodate people with political influence, Khan added.

He prayed the court to declare the restrictions illegal and asked the respondents to announce fresh advertisement.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2011.