CDA union protests illegal plots allotments today

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: The CDA union has called for a protest, on Thursday, against what it calls illegal allotment of plots to 109 officials.

The union is also demanding that instead of ‘officers’, ‘labourers’ working for the Authority should be considered eligible for plots.

Chaudhary Yasin, head of the CDA union, told Dawn: “We will go to any extent against the illegal allotments of plots to deputation and regular CDA officers, since the allotment letters were issued without the knowledge of the sitting chairman Syed Tahir Shahbaz and in a fraudulent manner.”

On the other hand, CDA officers’ welfare association claimed that out of 109 officials who were given plots, only 22 were on deputation.

Besides there is no discrimination between the deputation officials and regular employees of the civic agency relating to allotments of plots.

The officials will be given residential plots in Sector D-12 and I-8. The deputation officers of grade 17 and grade 19 were also allotted plot numbers.

The plot numbers were given after a balloting which was held in mid-2012. The deputation officials claim that under CDA Land Disposal Regulations 2005 — which union officials question — they were entitled to acquire a plot.

However, union leader Mr Yasin added: “CDA workers’ plots were given to those who were ‘officers’ while labourers working for the Authority were not considered.”

He claimed that the plots allotted to officers in I-8 never existed in the original master plan of the city.

The union chief said that CDA had given a commitment to the Supreme Court in January, 2012, that it would not allot plots to any official in sector I-8.

The union chief maintained that they were given verbal assurance by the chairman CDA and member administration that they had not issued any plots. Mr Yasin wondered “how 109 officers got an allotment letter which is a shady affair and now we need a
clear stance from the management, over the allotment of plots.”

The union leader said that plots could not be allotted to any of the officers, since a number of cases relating to allotment of plots to CDA officers or deputation officials were pending in the courts.

He maintained that after consulting the general body he will approach chairman CDA and members of the authority to get a clear opinion on whether “plots to the working class of the Authority will be allotted, otherwise the union has other options like calling a strike against the management.”

“We will also approach the higher courts and inform them about the illegal means through which the officials were allotted plots on which the chairman CDA has shown his complete ignorance,” said Mr Yasin.

According to one official of the Authority, CDA’s chairman Syed Tahir Shahbaz had recently formulated a committee to address the grievances of all the cadres related to allotment of plots.

“The committee’s recommendations were never considered and Estate Wing had issued the allotment letters, which is an abominable move,” maintained the official.

In a recent interaction with the spokesman of the CDA, Ramzan Sajid, said: “These plots are set aside after a thorough scrutiny by a committee formed by the CDA administration. The move was done as per CDA Land Disposal Regulations 2005 and there is
nothing wrong in the allotment of plots to 109 officers.”