Islamabad: SC orders CDA to report on Rs 7bn embezzlement in sectors I-11/12 by 20th

[Naveed Yaseen]

Land grab through proper channel?

* SC takes suo motu notice of irregularities in allotment of plots in sectors I-11, I-12
* Locals claim the civic body lodged fake cases against them to force them out of their properties
* Compensation mechanism does not seem ‘transparent’ to court

By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to prepare and submit till November 20 a comprehensive report about allotment of plots in Sectors I-11 and I-12 of the federal capital.

The bench comprising Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Rahmat Hussain Jafferi was hearing a suo motu case initiated on a news report alleging that the CDA had embezzled Rs 7 billion in allotment of plots in these two sectors.

According to the news report, the CDA in connivance with the police had registered a fake case against the locals who were denied plots in the new award of their acquired lands. The court also noted: “The procedure adopted by the authority to compensate people did not seem to be transparent.”

The court asked the editor of the newspaper about the authenticity of the news item, to which he said he would assert that the news was based on genuine facts and figures. The court took a serious notice when it came to know that the CDA had allotted 1997 plots in Sector I-11 to its employees.

The CJ questioned the CDA that under which law it had allotted 1997 plots to its employees. “You have usurped the right of people,” the CJ observed.

One Sarfraz, representative of the people from whom the CDA had acquired land, said they were denied plots in the award announced on June 8. “We were threatened by the CDA that it would register cases against us with the help of police if we resist evacuating our properties,” he said.

The court was informed that instead of providing plots to the affected/locals, as many as 410 plots were allotted to ‘strangers’. Asked about the mechanism adopted for compensation to the affected people, the CDA told the court that a ‘Package Deal’ was initiated for peaceful evacuation of the land.

The court observed that neither the land acquisition nor the CDA laws had mentioned such a ‘Package Deal’. “Why they adopted that method to compensate people,” the CJ questioned and observed that it seemed that plots were allotted to ‘trespassers’ instead of genuine owners of the land.

To a court query about the genuineness of the cases registered against the residents, Kaleem Imam, inspector general (IG) of Islamabad Police, said all the cases were genuine.

The court asked SP Qaisarani that what would he say about the allegations of his taking Rs 1 million bribe from Zahid Bhatti, CDA deputy director (Rehabilitation), and not rebutting it till date.

Qaisarani said Bhatti was his batch fellow but he had not taken bribe from him for registration of cases against the residents of Sectors I-11and I-12.

He said police had recovered wine, pistols and drugs from the people who were booked. Two of the accused confessed that they were drunk at the time police arrested them, adding it was a conspiracy as they were forced to drink wine.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1