D-13 case: poor coordination puts CDA chief in trouble

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Poor coordination among top officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regarding allotment of plots in D-13 put its chairman in an awkward situation before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday.

When Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman took up a contempt of court petition filed by the affected people of D-13, Syed Tahir Shahabaz, the CDA chief, claimed that neither the layout plan nor any allotment in the sector had been made so far.

His claim was, however, challenged by Raja Inam Ameen Minhas, the counsel for the 29 petitioners. The counsel not only produced the allotment letters of plots but also pointed out that on December 6, 2012, Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu, the then CDA director general planning, had admitted before the court that the layout plan had been completed over a year back.

To avoid criminal proceedings, the CDA chief has to satisfy the court about the matter on Friday.

According to the allotment letters, the chief executive of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) was among those allotted plots. Sources in the CDA said a plot had also been allotted to former inspector general of police Wajid Ali Durrani in April last year. They claimed that at least 16 allotment letters had been issued after the approval of the layout.

The CDA announced the award of D-13 in August 2008 and the affected owners of the land in the villages of Bhaker Fateh Buksh, Sarisaral, Dherak Mohri, Maira Sumber Aku, Maira Sumber Jaffer and Thala Syedan were offered one kanal developed plot against four kanal raw land in the sector.

In 2009, when the CDA failed to compensate the affected owners, they moved the IHC, which on February 2, 2009, directed the civic agency to compensate them within two months.

After the CDA did not comply with the court orders, a contempt of court plea was moved in the same year which was disposed of on June 6 after the CDA gave an undertaking that the layout plan would be completed in three months that would enable the
authority to compensate the villagers.

When the authority could not allot plots to the affectees, the villagers filed another contempt of court plea in November.

A senior Capital Development Authority official on the condition of anonymity said member planning Syed Mustafain Kazmi and member estate Shaista Sohail had provided wrong information to the CDA chief.

He said both the officers had recently assumed the charge of their offices and due to poor coordination with their subordinates could not gather proper information.

Barrister Masroor Shah, the CDA chief legal adviser, told Dawn that the legal directorate was examining the matter and would provide factual details to the court on Friday.