19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has suffered a loss of approximately Rs504 billion by providing an additional 870 acres of land for the construction of General Headquarters (GHQ) in Sector E-10, a source in the CDA told Dawn on Monday.

The source said the land had been offered on the demand of the military authorities at a cost of Rs200 per square yard. However, the market rate in the area close to the E-10 sector is stated to be Rs110,000 to Rs120,000 per square yard.

In a recent auction of plots by the Capital Development Authority, the land in Sector F-10 Markaz, located beside the GHQ land, was sold at the rate of Rs110,000 to Rs120,000 per square yard, the source said.

According to the market rate, the cost of 870 acres of land is stated to be Rs505.296 billion. However, it was provided to the military authorities for Rs842 million.

The source said 1,400 acres of land already allotted for the construction of the GHQ was sold at the rate of Rs184 per square yard.

Some of the additional land of 870 acres fell in the National Park Area which could not be sold or purchased or used for any construction, he added.

The CDA, he said, had shown its inability to the military authorities to get vacated the additional land from the villagers of Chauntra. The village also falls in the additional land provided for the GHQ.

It is feared that the about 3,500 residential units in Chauntra village would be removed without giving any compensation to their inhabitants.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the construction of the General Headquarters in Sector E-10 last month.

According to the military authorities, after 1965 war the decision was taken to collocate the services headquarters in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Navy (PN) had been given priority as it had to shift from Karachi followed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that had to shift from Peshawar.

The PN has completed the construction of its offices and residential accommodation whereas PAF is in the process of doing so.

The army took the decision to start its shifting in March 2000, but because of changes in the regional and global environment, it remained pending, the authorities said.

In light of the decision, the CDA, according to provisions in its master plan, had earmarked four sectors for establishment of different services headquarters and the ministry of defence.

These sectors included E-8, E-9, E-10 and D-11.