CBC chief’s exit ‘influenced’ by DHA, allege residents

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Friday, April 30, 2010
By By Azeem Samar
Karachi

The transfer of Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) Cantonment Executive Officer (CEO) Zeenat Ahmed to Cantonment Board Faisal (CBF) has been unduly influenced by the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), alleged various residents associations of Clifton and Defence.

Many associations feels that Ahmed’s “transgression” has been to ensure that the SHC’s orders regarding unauthorised constructions in Defence are upheld.

“The outgoing CBC CEO, in accordance with the SHC’s orders, had sent letters to the DHA and other stakeholders concerned to fulfil their obligations as per the building by-laws of the CBC and obey court orders,” narrated

Asad Kizilbash, the honorary secretary general of the

Association of Defence Residents (ADR), the federation of all DHA residents’ associations.

This act, however, did not seemingly sit well with those in decision-making positions.

Another reason for Ahmed’s transfer may be the fact that for the first time in CBC’s history, she had introduced a mechanism of accountability and transparency, as well as ensured residents’ participation in all affairs of the CBC.

“There is considerable unrest and a sense of betrayal among the residents of the area due to this unfair action. Many believe that this step was initiated on behalf of anti-resident and undemocratic forces, which regard themselves above the law,” Kizilbash said.

The outrage at Ahmed’s transfer is such that a number of associations representing residents of Defence, as well as other stakeholders of the area, have written letters to senior government officials and authorities in Islamabad, and protested Ahmed’s transfer.

The residents’ contention is that Ahmed’s “sudden transfer” from the position would affect the ongoing process of reforms in functioning of the cantonment board. These reforms included the introduction of residents’ involvement in different municipal functions of the cantonment board – a step made all the more important in a scenario wherein residents have little or no representation within cantonment boards.

Defence Associations’ Coordination Committee (DACC) President Mian Muhammad Habib-ur-Rehman, in his correspondence dated April 20 to the Islamabad-based director-general (DG) of Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C), said that the transferred CEO had dissolved the concept of accumulated services to be provided by a single person, and had designed different committees comprised of the area’s honest and spirited people, who were likely to be well informed about the issues of their respective areas.

Ahmed had also distributed various responsibilities to residents in terms of the areas they lived in, and had urged some nominated people to attend meetings with the CEO and present their area’s issues, such as sewerage/manholes, rain emergency, illegal encroachment, distribution of water supply, and electricity issues.

“The people of Defence and other areas breathed a sigh of relief that there is someone who listens to their issues, and through the people’s nominated representatives,” said the correspondence, whose copies were also sent to the chief of Army staff (COAS), defence minister, Corps-5 commander, and defence secretary.

Defence Society Residents’ Association (DSRA) Honorary Secretary General Shamim Zaman, in her correspondence also addressed to the ML&C DG, wrote: “It has come as a rude shock to us that the CEO of CBC, Zeenat Ahmed, has been transferred at this most critical time in the history of the cantonment board. [She] had introduced democratic reforms in the area and the residents were hoping for the continuation of her tenure till such time that these reforms had fully matured and became institutionalised. We would like to register our strongest protest against this untimely decision by your office.

“Although these reforms are still in their infancy, they stand starkly in contrast to the historical apathy and mismanagement, which has been the hallmark of all past CBC regimes,” it said.

“We wish to let you know that the residents of the DHA feel that your transfer order totally disregards and betrays the desires and the trust of the DHA residents, ” said the correspondence, whose copies were also sent to the country’s president, prime minister, defence minister, defence secretary, chief of Army staff (COAS), Corps-5 commander, and director of ML&C-Karachi.

Similar letters of concern to the ML&C DG against Ahmed’s transfer were also sent by office bearers of the Defence Gardens Central Association, Residents’ Association Phase-4, as well as by residents’ association of Khyaban-e-Saadi, Rizwan, and Abbasi Phase-7, and DHA Phase-VIII residents’ committee.