December 24, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 19, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, Dec 23: The controversy aroused over the construction of a women college at Jhanda the foundation stone of which had been laid by the Punjab chief minister on Sunday to give a boost to the election campaign of the PML-QA candidate for NA-56 by-polls, Sheikh Rashid Shafique who is the nephew of Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

The land, which has been earmarked for this purpose, is in the possession of Rawalpindi Development Authority, and it has been alleged that the official procedure has not been followed to fulfil the criteria.

The college is being constructed at a cost of Rs14.382 million as part of a Rs100 million package announced for Rawalpindi city.

The RDA officials said the price of the land being sought for the college construction had been assessed at Rs90 million. The provincial government, they said, would have to pay this amount to RDA, as the Authority was an autonomous entity.

They said the land was still owned by the RDA and had not been transferred to any government agency so far.

On the other hand, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed while speaking at the ceremony held in connection with the foundation stone laying of the college had claimed that the chief minister had ordered the transfer of land.

The RDA officials said the Authority had acquired this land for the development of a housing society and under Land Acquisition Act it could not be used for any other purpose.

In case of any change in the status of this land, they added, the former owners could again seek the possession of the land, as the agreement under which it had been acquired would then be stand breached.

Sources said the RDA director-general had moved a summary with the housing and physical planning department regarding the announcement of the takeover of land by the education department.

“Any expenditure incurred by the government in this connection without first settling the outstanding matters would be illegal and could bear serious complications.”

The RDA chairman is tightlipped over the issue and his only comment available is “The chief minister has been briefed about the situation.”