CDA admits ‘short-term’ harm to environment

Senate body sees levelling of corruption allegations against CDA official.

ISLAMABAD: No one at the packed committee room of Parliament House on Thursday dared to advise legislators and a group of environmentalists that it is no use to cry over spilt milk.  

The ‘concerned’ parliamentarians and environmentalists appeared to have woken up from deep slumber to mourn the losses incurred by cutting several trees while paving way for the multi-billion rupee Metro Bus Project in Islamabad.

A meeting of the senate standing committee on cabinet secretariat was held under the chairmanship of Senator Kalsoom Parveen to discuss performance of Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) environment directorate.

Civil society members and the Islamabad Green Movement, an environmentalist group, and Senator Muahahid Hussain Sayed of PML-Q especially participated in the meeting on special invites.

Besides voicing concerns about the city’s master plan violations by CDA by allowing construction activities at dedicated greenbelts and conversion of open areas into parking lots, the legislators also doubted CDA’s figures on the number of trees chopped or re-planted.

The CDA revealed that some 759 fully grown and decades-old trees, of them 80 per cent paper mulberry, were cut down as they were falling in the alignment of the bus route. These were later auctioned by the authority, informed CDA Member Environment Mustafain Kazmi.

Besides, some 3,773 small trees and shrubs were transplanted to other areas after removal. Additionally, 5,526 ground covers and small bushes were also shifted from the site, said the CDA reply.

The civic agency also said the project posed a ‘short-term negative environmental impact’ in terms of loss of green cover, air, dust and noise pollution, and improper dumping of excavated material.

A representative of the cabinet division said he would conduct, if the panel desires, sample checking to determine the exact number of chopped trees.

Harsh arguments

During the proceedings, a committee member, who is involved in real estate and currently in dispute with CDA over a matter of priced plots, lashed out at CDA before he was asked to restrain himself by his fellow legislators.

The CDA official on the receiving end was none other than Kazmi, who was made officer on special duty (OSD) around four times in the last five years owing to differences with various government officials and legislators.

After Senator Haji Saifullah Bangash criticised Kazmi in severe words by recalling some previous inquiries and dubbed him a corrupt official, Senator Mushahidullah Khan said “Don’t get personal. He [Kazmi] is a reputed officer and not corruption-tainted as you are alleging.”

At present, Bangash reportedly is making efforts to waive off conversion charges, which run into millions, of his recently approved commercial plaza at Sector G-6. A CDA source informed that Bangash was informed that the entire CDA board was in favour of the move except Kazmi.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Bangash said “I stand by my accusations,” adding that he (Kazmi) is a corrupt official and in the next meeting he would bring evidence of the corruption. He added that he had white money which he earned during his stay in the Gulf and invested in Islamabad’s real estate market afterwards. “Transactions I made are documented. I did not ask ever anyone at the CDA for undue favours,” concluded the senator from Khyber-Pakhtunkhaw.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2014.