For Senators: Water, housing issues not a concern

Private property issues, commercial plot offers among items discussed.

ISLAMABAD:

A standing committee’s core aim is to assist Parliament to ensure oversight, transparency and the proper functioning of government entities.

But sometimes this aim is ignored and such forums become facilitation centres for prominent persons, who use parliamentarians’ influence to resolve their own issues.

A similar situation transpired at a Senate Standing Committee meeting on Tuesday chaired by Senator Kalsoom Perveen, during which two of the topics chosen for discussion were related to some billionaire private land developers’ property issues.

The third topic revolved around the status of recommendations given by an Islamabad High Court-appointed judicial commission over the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) mega projects. However, the matter was put off after CDA Chairman Tahir Shahbaz said the issue was pending with the courts.



The committee conveniently disregarded the myriad problems being faced by the capital’s residents, including a dearth of potable water and lack of affordable housing, both of which the CDA has failed to address adequately.

“Any other item with the permission of the chair,” was stated in the agenda list for the meeting. Taking advantage of this privilege, Perveen openly requested Shahbaz to accept a bid against a commercial plot offered by the owner of a construction firm, Metracon, during a recently concluded auction.

Shahbaz informed the senator that the bid offered by the owner of Metracon, which had in the past constructed a flawed overhead interchange near Blue Area, was below the reserve price of the plot.

“You can ask the owner to bid for the CDA’s reserve price for the plot and accept it,” suggested Perveen, to which her colleague added, “Madam has her own agenda today.”

During the meeting attended by senators Dr Saeeda Iqbal, Syeda Sughra Iman, Rubina Khalid, Kamil Ali Agha, Mushahidullah Khan, and Begum Najma Hameed, issues relating to the Multi-Professional Cooperative Housing Society (MPCHS) and Ministry of Interior Cooperative Housing Society were also discussed. The committee directed the CDA to resolve the issue of a pending claim by MPCHS amounting to Rs1.21 billion for the development of the northern strip of Sector E-11 under a joint venture with the civic agency.

The CDA had recently decided to conduct a forensic audit of the claim which according to officials was based on inaccurate estimates.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.