Pending ‘Completion Certificates’ speak for CDA’s inefficiency

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) Building Control Section’s (BCS) failure to ensure construction of buildings according to maps has resulted in Rs1.2 billion loss to CDA in the form of transfer fee.

To top it all, the administration of CDA has never taken any notice of incompetence of the BCS officers showing complete neglect on its part towards the affairs of BCS besides hinting at the possibility that it gets benefited from BCS’s unprofessional approach.

According to sources, there are over 1,500 buildings in Blue Area and various sectors and sub-sectors of the federal capital, while these building house over 40, 000 residential units and shops. BCS, ironically, has never ensured construction of houses according to maps although it exists primarily to fulfill this basic responsibility.

Sources elaborated there are 100 buildings in Blue Area majority of whose owners do not have completion certificates with them due to the fact these buildings do not comply with civic body’s rules. “On the other hand, BCS has made it a routine to send notices but has never taken any stern action against owners of these buildings,” they said.

They said after having issued completion certificate, CDA gives rights to all residents who have purchased units from owners to transfer units to their names. “If all units of the city are transferred to residents, CDA gets at least Rs1.2 billion in the form of transfer fee. Unfortunately due to the inefficiency of the BCS personnel, this does not happen. So citizens purchase and sell units through ‘stamp papers’ or by registry accruing loss to CDA.

Besides this, citizens purchasing units by registry cannot get loan from any bank on that property nor can they hire those units through Estate Office because they do not accept agreement letters for hiring and loans.

If owner of the plot, on which a unit has been constructed, dies it gives rise to a new issue because CDA will not acknowledge it.

Sources disclosed that so far only few buildings including Trade Center in Sector F-11 and Law Trade Centre had been issued completion certificates. “It is not on CDA’s credit. It is the right step of owners of these buildings,” they added.

Ahmed Plaza located in I-10 Markaz is another example of CDA’s poor management. Owner of the plaza did not get the completion certificate so he sold the unit through stamp papers and went to USA.

The plaza had been constructed about two decades back. At that time liabilities against the plaza were just Rs100,000 but now it has reached over Rs40,00,000. CDA will never get this amount because evey unit in the plaza has an owner and in CDA’s record there is only one owner.