Illegal allotments: CDA to suspend three officials found guilty

ISLAMABAD:

After their attempt to award themselves plots in the capital in violation of rules was thwarted, the civic agency’s officers now face suspension. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to suspend three officers who were found guilty of misuse of authority in a fact-finding inquiry into the allotment of residential plots to CDA officers, while their accomplices have been repatriated and in one case, arrested.

A formal inquiry, in light of recommendations of a fact-finding committee, is in progress and CDA member Finance has been appointed as an investigation officer for the case.

Headed by former Member Environment Dr Kazim Niaz, a fact-finding committee had recommended a formal inquiry against six officials. Former Estate Management-I director Naveedul Haq,  former Administration director general Laeeq Yousufzai, Estate Management Assistant Director Ali Murtaza Bokhari, former Human Resource Development director Muhammad Ali, Deputy Director Sanitation Haseen Raza Zaidi and Capital Hospital Medical Technologist Abdul Waheed.

“Now it has been decided to suspend the rest of the accused officers, namely Waheed, Zaidi and Bokhari,” said a CDA board member requesting his name be withheld. Yousufzai and Muhammad Ali have already been repatriated to their parent departments, while Haq was suspended by CDA after he was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) some days ago. FIA has also been investigating the case.

However, when contacted, CDA Chairman Tahir Shahbaz said a final decision in this regard would be taken on Monday. “I will ask member Finance about the progress in the inquiry so far and if appropriate, the officials will certainly be suspended,” he added.

A senior CDA officer questioned the delay in the suspension of these officers, while talking to The Express Tribune.

“According to government service rules, accused officers are immediately suspended when a formal inquiry is initiated against them.”

Meanwhile, the FIA has also broadened the scope of investigations into the case. The agency is probing the issuance of offer letters in violation of rules and procedures and creation of 12 plots in Sector I-8 in violation of rules. Haq, stated to be the central character in both scams, is currently in FIA’s custody. A grade 18 officer of the Punjab government, Liaqat Abbasi, has now been appointed Enforcement Director.

The six officials were found involved in issuing offer letters for residential plots to even those CDA employees who had neither participated in a balloting held on June 21, 2012, nor were they eligible as per rules. Some of the officials had been dismissed from service or had left CDA, while the majority did not qualify for a plot because they had not completed three years’ of service.

Some 113 offer letters were issued in a questionable manner from a university hostel. The officers had earlier claimed that offer letters were issued to 109 officers who were declared eligible for plots in a balloting held on held on June 21, 2012. Contrary to the claim, offer letters had been issued to only 88 officers.

Offer letters were also issued to 22 officers, who were included at a later stage in the balloting list without completing procedural requirements. These 22 officers were those who had not served in CDA long enough to qualify for a plot.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.