Ace in sleeve?: Spared the job, spoil the city

Despite being found guilty, recommended for sacking by probe team, CDA official only demoted.

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has brought back an official, after giving him a slap on the wrist for his role in a plot scam while ignoring the recommendations of an internal fact-finding committee which found him guilty.

In April last year, the CDA suspended estate management deputy director Naveelul Haq, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him on charges of illegally allotting over 24 plots worth Rs750 million in Sector I-8.

Later, a CDA fact-finding committee headed by former finance member Azhar Ali Chaudhry recommended the termination of Haq’s services for the shady manner in which allotments were carried out.

According to a senior CDA official, Haq is among five officials who issued offer letters for residential plots to CDA employees who did not participate in balloting and were not eligible for allotment under the rules. The official said that offer letters were issued without the mandatory approval of the CDA chairman.

Instead of implementing the committee’s recommendation to terminate him, the incumbent chairman only penalised him by demoted him one pay grade, said the official.

The official said that Haq was in BS-18 when he was suspended, and a notification has been issued under which he has been demoted to BS-17 and given the new charge of CDA town planner.

“Despite strict recommendations of the committee, the official has awarded minimum punishment. This is just unfair,” he added.

According to sources, Staff Director to the CDA Chairman Ijaz Ahmed Bawja played a big role in saving Haq. The sources claimed that Bajwa allegedly favoured officials named in different corruption cases.

He said 39 cases of financial and administrative irregularities were pending in the CDA.

When contacted, Bajwa declined to respond to queries relating to his involvement and referred The Express Tribune to the CDA spokesperson.

CDA spokesperson Malik Saleem said he was unaware of the notification of Haq’s demotion. “I checked with the concerned department, but it was closed and I cannot confirm it,” he added. He denied that the staff director had manipulated the inquiries or lent favour to corrupt officials.

“The chairman is the competent authority. How can the staff director dictate anything to him?” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2014.