Islamabad: SC orders CDA to take back 54-acre E-11 strip from housing society

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD: A two-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed Capital Development Authority (CDA) to take possession of 54-acre northern strip of Sector E-11 back from the Multi-Professional Cooperative Housing Society.

The bench comprising Justices Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Jawwad S Khawaja was hearing a suo motu case against alleged non-transparent land deal of CDA with the society.

As per details, the society was to clear the land from adverse possessors and develop it. It was to retain 43 percent of the land while the remaining 57 percent of developed land was to be handed over to CDA.

The agreement was signed during tenure of CDA’s former chairman Kamran Lashari. However, it was widely criticised in media following which Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the matter.

On Thursday, CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi appeared before the court on notice and presented a report about joint venture of the CDA and the society. The court expressed dissatisfaction over the report and directed the CDA chairman to submit detailed documents about the deal including by-laws of the society and profiles of its’ sponsors.

The CDA chairman sought more time to provide the detailed report, which the court allowed and adjourned hearing till August 20. During the course of hearing, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmad said that according to CDA Rules, only the CDA was empowered to take possession of the land.

He said CDA Rules did not allow the CDA to delegate its powers to others. The court directed the CDA to take back possession of the northern strip of Sector E-11 by executing its’ authority.

Afnan Kundi, counsel for the CDA, appeared before the court, but no one represented the society. Meanwhile, the court issued notice to the society’s chief executive to appear before it on August 20.

Talking to reporters outside the courtroom, Kundi said the court orders implied that development work on northern strip of Sector E-11 under CDA’s joint venture with the society would come to a halt till further orders of the court.