Islamabad: High hopes of E-12 allottees dash to ground again

[Naveed Yaseen]

About 7,878 allottees of sector E-12 who were hoping for paced development after a suo motu proceedings of the defunct Islamabad High Court, are once again left in the lurk.

Their voices were given due heed and were hoping to get their dreams realized by the encouraging orders of the defunct High judges, but its dissolution once again caste shadows of gloom over their short lived happiness.

The court while expressing displeasure over the issue had wanted facts about the whole process. However, the dissolution of High Court had certainly added to lethargic attitude of the concerned Capital Development Authority and the judicial proceedings received a lukewarm response as no development work was witnessed so far.

According to details provided by a number of allottees, they had applied for the plots in said sector in 1989 but could not get anything after the lapse of twenty years. It is indeed pathetic that after lapse of about twenty years, they would not get anything and their new generations might get a bleak opportunity to have a home of their own.

Majority among them had already been retired from their services and would not be able to construct their own home.There were as many as 7,878 allottees and they had deposited an amount of Rs2.5 billion with CDA and they claimed that the deposited amount might have swelled to Rs40 billion after accumulation of bank interest.

Irfan Mehmood, an affected allottee, who also appeared to assist court over the matter, stated that the CDA had further demanded Rs 650 per square yard from the allottees for the development of the sector.

On November 30, Federal Ombudsman accepted allottees’ plea against CDA decision to increase development charges and referred the case to then President.

The former president Pervez Musharraf directed the allottees to pay the additional charges and CDA would hand over possession in three years. Similar directives were issued by the then prime minister on June 7, 18, 2004 respectively.

According to these affected people, it was indeed strange that CDA instead developed Sector G-13 which was initiated in 2004. Another affected person was Mohammad Iqbal Group Captain/Senior Staff Officer (Support & AD) HQs Central Air Command PAF, whose plea prompted suo motu on part of former Chief Justice of IHC.

He had complained that he was nearing retirement and would not be able to construct and own a house due to development process. Barrister Masroor Shah, counsel for CDA, when contacted was of the opinion that the land was acquired by the CDA, but so far the possession of land was not completed.

He said the main problem was encroachment which could trigger law and order situation as it had been seen in the recent past.

The legal experts and former judges were of the opinion that the legal proceedings were intact and the concerned respondents had to sooner or later would comply with it as it was sub judice issue.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=197316