Suo motu: Court takes notice of plot allotment to Hiraj

Issues notice to CDA chief for allotting the Diplomatic Enclave plot by contravening rules.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman for allotting a plot in the Diplomatic Enclave to the recently appointed chairman of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra), Hamid Yar Hiraj, in contravention of rules.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took a suo motu notice on a private TV channel report aired on Thursday that the CDA had allotted a plot measuring 3 acres 2 kanals and 10 marlas for a school to the Erra chief.

According to a press note, the Master Plan of Islamabad was altered without approval of the cabinet due to which 37-kanal plot has been changed into a 19-kanal plot. Thereafter, the 19-kanal land has been allotted to Hamid Yar Hiraj for just Rs71,632,000 whereas 18-kanal land was given for school in the name of green belt.

He could not construct the school within the prescribed limit of 30 months. Besides, the advertisement given by the CDA was just for owners of private schools in Islamabad and owners of private schools in other places were ineligible.  The Diplomatic Enclave was also not mentioned in the advertisement, either. However, Hamid Yar Hiraj obtained the plot in the name of his relative who runs a private school at Multan. Hiraj is a member of the parliamentary accountability committee besides being chairman of Erra.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2010.