January 24, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 23, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: An inquiry by a senior official of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has revealed irregularities in the Mini Golf Club (MGC) project in F-7 Markaz, a source in the authority told Dawn on Monday.

The inquiry was held after the CDA Board members visited the site of the club in the wake of Supreme Court’s order to stop the work on the club pending its decision on a private petition filed against the project.

It was pointed out in the inquiry that the owner of the club Shah Shrabeel had established an amphitheatre at the site in violation of the agreement signed between him and the CDA.

The inquiry also disclosed that the owner of the club had erected big commercial hoarding to fence off the site of the club which was not part of the agreement.

The issue of the MGC has been challenged in the apex court by a Karachi-based lawyer Maulvi Iqbal Haider. The petitioner has pleaded the court to direct the CDA to present a CDA Board resolution, that authorized the conversion of the public park into a privately-run club, at the first hearing of the case in February.

If any CDA resolution permitted such conversion, he pleaded that the CDA be directed to re-invite bidding through national newspapers and the land be awarded to the highest bidder.

The petitioner, Iqbal Haider, contended that five acres prime land of F-7 public park was leased out to Shah Shrabeel without inviting general expression of interest or calling tenders from the public. In the first place, the CDA had no legal right to convert a piece of land reserved for general public park into any commercial project, he contended.

However, Mr Shrabeel, in his statement, said the project was awarded through proper channel as nine firms had participated in the bidding and the contract was awarded to him for submitting the highest bid. The apex court had directed to stop development work and commercial activities on the project site.

The source said six-feet high hoarding had been erected on the boundary of the proposed mini golf club without taking any permission from the CDA.

The erection of 8,000 sq feet of hoarding of a mobile phone company was a sheer violation of the CDA rules and the authority seems helpless to take any action, the source said.