70 kanals of SSECHS grabbed, Senate told

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Special Committee on Senate Secretariat Employees Cooperative Housing Society (SSECHS) on Monday expressed anger when it was told that a person, Safdar, with the help of police has illegally occupied 70 kanals of the society.
Taking notice, the committee called the Islamabad IGP today (Tuesday) to update the senators over the issue.
SSECHS President Dildar Hussian Fani told the committee that the piece of land had been grabbed while police had also put watchman of the society behind the bars which showed that the SHO concerned was also supporting the land mafia.
He also told the committee that if the CDA grants an NOC for the society and development works are carried out there, there is possibility that such incidents would stop.
But he expressed his helplessness, saying that the CDA has been creating hurdles in provision of NOC for SSECHS for the last five years. The CDA calls for meeting the requirement of constructing an approach road for the society.
Fani also said that there are hundreds of private housing societies which could not get NOCs, but development works were carried out there.
The president of the committee also claimed that CDA was “discouraging” the Senate employees’ housing society.
He also informed the committee that CDA has already given an approval to the layout plan in 2009. He asked the committee to allow the society to carry out development works on 679 kanals for which an approval has already been granted but the CDA was not issuing an NOC.
Convener of the committee Senator Fateh Muhammad and Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi said that CDA could not provide full cooperation and creates hindrances in issuing NOC for the society. They said the matter would be resolved as early as possible.
CDA officials informed the committee that an approach road is mandatory for issuing an NOC and “it is in interest of the society”. The existence of an approach road will raise the value of this society, they claimed.
The president of the society also informed the committee that they are in negotiations with another party for getting additional 1,800 kanals. For an approach road, he said, negotiations were already in progress with a private housing society, which also requires approval from the board meeting of the society.
On February 2, the SSECHS board’s meeting will be held. The committee then gave three weeks to the SSECHS management to get an approval from its board for the extension of the society and also finalise negotiations with other societies with regard to construction of an approach road.