Commission finds dubious dealing by CDA officials

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD: The Commission Headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court (SC), Justice ® Sardar Raza Khan, to probe alleged corruption in the mega projects of Capital Development Authority (CDA) has identified a number of CDA officials for ‘dubious dealing’ while examining over 20 mega projects.



Justice Siddiqui on September 10, 2012, while hearing identical petitions regarding corruption and corrupt practices in the civic body, had formed a three-member commission to probe the mega projects. The commission report was submitted in a sealed envelope to the chamber of IHC’s Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.



While examining 20 mega projects, including Monal Restaurant, construction of IJP Road, allotment of plot to private firm—BNP—for constructing a five star hotel complex near the Convention Centre, allotment of additional land to the Centaurus complex for a grid station, allotment of plot to a private firm, Minawa, in Sector F-10 where it raised a high-rise building and sold all the apartments without paying the premium/cost of the plot to THE CDA, the process of awarding the contract of the projects of light-emitting diode (LED), worth Rs7.5 billion, Kuri model village, the double road leading to Bahria Enclave, allotment of prime places at Rawal Dam, Saidpur model village, Gun Club, Diplomatic Enclave and other key locations, award of contract for running diplomatic shuttle service, issuance of NOC and selling of land to private housing societies, award of contract for construction of Kashmir Highway, projects for the extension of Sector D-12, E-11 and Margalla Phase-II.

It also examined the allotments of cinema plot in Sector G-9 to a private firm of a political figure, plots reserved for schools to favourites, agro farms, Hill View Hotel, Art and Craft Village, Margalla Tower, Dubai Plaza, and the contract award for constructing parking lots at Aabpara. The commission had identified a number of CDA officials for ‘dubious dealing’.

The commission has highlighted the CDA negligence in Park Tower extension and observed that due to the negligence of CDA officials, the owner sold the apartments without paying even a single penny to the CDA.

The commission also showed anxiety that owner of G-9 cinema plot would vanish after selling the shops if the authority would not take timely steps. The commission also found the role of some senior CDA officials in extending favour to private housing scheme Bahria Enclave as they provided them access from Park Road on the government land.