CDA spent Rs10.65m on litigation last year

[Salman]

CDA spent Rs10.65m on litigation last year

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) gave a startling figure of Rs10.65 million it spent on litigation in different courts last year.

The figures came up in a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee held here on Tuesday under the chair of its chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal.

The CDA gave a detailed briefing to the PAC on its cases pending in courts.

The PAC was apprised by the CDA that currently as many as 5,242 cases were in different courts, including 41 cases in Supreme Court of Pakistan, 409 in Human Rights Cell of Supreme Court of Pakistan, 670 in Islamabad High Court, 1,564 in District Courts, 1,118 before the deputy commissioner, 500 with the CDA magistrate and 200 cases with the commissioner, Islamabad.
PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal, saying that millions of rupees were spent on these cases, directed the CDA to incorporate all cases into a summary and send it to the PAC so that it could be sent to the attorney general for early pursuance of cases.

He directed CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal if any CDA official is found causing pendency of cases he should be issued show-cause notice and that show-cause notice should be mentioned in the ACR of the official. The CDA chairman also claimed before the PAC that all record of cases would be computerised within 15 days.

Responding to questions raised by PAC members, the CDA chairman said that the legal team of the CDA comprises 19 lawyers, and on every hearing an amount of Rs20,000 was being paid to a lawyer from the legal team.