E-11 housing societies to be probed

Senate standing committee admonishes CDA and ICT, seeks detailed reports.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Division directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Thursday to form a joint committee for probing irregularities in all housing societies working in E-11.

This includes the Jinnah Garden Housing Society.

The committee met here with Senator Shahid Hassan Bugti and discussed the details of three housing societies. They found that most were involved in fleecing the people by selling empty files without having approved “Layout Plans” or No Objection Certificates from the CDA.

CDA and ICT officials including chief of the civic body Imtiaz Inayat Elahi were embarrassed by the committee members for providing late and incomplete information about the societies.

The committee directed concerned authorities to check the layout plans, plot statuses, rate of purchase and sale, standard of development works and accounts affairs of the housing societies. These details of the three societies, Al-Hamarah Hills, Jinnah Garden and Pakistan Medical Employees Housing Society, are to be submitted to the committee within a month.

The committee also directed the Circular Registrar Housing Society to immediately hold elections in Pakistan Medical Housing Society, where a caretaker committee has been illegally running the society affairs for the last months and a half.

The reports shows that almost all the three societies received money by selling files without having required land or approved Lay Out Plans (LOP).

The committee also specially directed the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to conduct a thorough audit of Al-Hamrah Hills through a recognised and
renowned audit firm. This
is to be presented within 30 to 45 days.

Al-Hamara Hills Housing society has a total of 47 plots and had already received money from 89 investors.

Jinnah Garden Housing Society has 4,588 and 2,773 plots in Phase-I and Phase-II respectively. The LOPs of only 1,073 plots have been approved in phase-I and 450 plots of Phase-II.

CDA officials informed the committee that they had written to the Circular Registrar about the cancellation of LOPs.

Surprisingly, Pakistan Medical Cooperative Employees provide different details to CDA and ICT administration about the plots and their status.

CDA Chairperson, at one stage expressed his inability to vacate the Agro-farm plots from some occupants at Kuri Garden, saying that the authority has to face tremendous pressure from influential groups.

He added that CDA could not take action against the Housing Societies as it is not in the domain of the civic body. The ICT administration has to take such action; CDA can only stop development work, he said.

“CDA could perform much better if it wanted, but unfortunately it is also helping corrupt elements,” Bugti maintained.

Chairperson of the committee also sought help of advisor to PM Ghazanfar Gul to bring out the investigation report of Margalla Tower, which is still in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

Elahi also disclosed that one of the officials whose name was in the report, was Assistant Director that time and has now been promoted to Deputy Director General.

Ghazanfar Gul denied this, saying that an individual with an inquiry against him could not be promoted. He directed that a show-cause notice be issued to Deputy Director General Planning Ghulam Sarwar Sindhu for not sending the required documents pertaining to housing societies details on time.

Elahi conceded before the committee that it was negligence of CDA officials due to which required documents could not process accordingly and he would take action against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2010.