May 05, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 4: The federal government on Friday informed the National Assembly that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had allotted 32 plots to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private educational institutions in different sectors of the capital during the last two years.

The government came under fire when opposition members Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Yasmeen Rehman (PPP) raising the issue in the house during the question hour said some influential business tycoons had been allotted plots at subsidised rates for setting up educational institutions in Islamabad.

They said the benefit was not being passed on to the students in terms of fee structure. There was no mechanism in place to monitor heavy fees being charged by them. They alleged that the plots valuing billions of rupees in the open market, had been given to blue eyed ones for millions.

Opposition members gave a tough time to the seemingly unprepared Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich, who failed to properly respond to the queries about the monitoring mechanism to check fees of private educational institutions.

Treasury MNA M P Bhindara was of the view that there should be parliamentary committee to ascertain whether or not the owners of private schools have built their buildings after they got the plots.

In a written reply, the federal interior minister informed the National Assembly that one plot measuring 6.63 acres was allotted to the SOS Children Village of Pakistan for establishment of school for under privileged children in Sector H-11 at the rate of Rs 218 per/sq yard.

The government had also allotted 3 acres plot to ZTE at Rs1,425 per/sq yards to set up a software development centre. He said that ZTE was a Chinese company and the plot was allotted to it on the directives of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Those 32 private schools and NGOs which were given plots of different sizes in Islamabad at prices ranging between Rs16.43 million to Rs42 million, included Faran Public School in H-11 sector measuring 0.76 acres, EMS High School 0.76 acres, Minhajul Quran 1.03 acres, Islamabad Children Academy 0.76 acres, Foundation Head School 1.03 acres, Ghazali College 0.76 acres, Islamabad Science College 0.76 acres, Global System 1.03 acres, Bright Hall School 0.76 acres, Bahria Foundation 1.93 acres, Bahria College 1.93 acres and Roots Montessori 0.75 acres,

Also, Head Start School 1.32 acres, International Progressive 0.76 acres, Hill House Boarding School 1.03 acres, Tameer-i-Millat Foundation 0.76 acres, Modern Institute 0.68 acres, ASAS International School 01 acres, Foundation Public School 0.46 acres, Modern Language School 0.68 acre, SLS Montessori 01 acre, Khaldonia High School 0.87 acre, Umeed-i-Noor School 0.87 acres, Lahore Diocesan Board of Education 1.06 acres, Magic Foundation Nurseries 1.80 acres, Lahore Grammar School 3.35 acres, Sajjad Ideal Model High School 3 acres, Pak-Turk International School 3.53 acres, National Grammar School, 2.50 acres, Siddeeq Public School 3 acres and Pak International Education System 2.53 acres.

State Minister for Interior Zafar Warraich informed the house that the CDA fetched Rs673.5 million from the sale of these plots in sectors H-11, H-8, G-11/3, G-11/4, Park Road and Alipur Farash Model Village.

He said the incidence theft, dacoities, robberies and suicide attacks in the federal capital had gone down as compared to last year. He said 34 incidents of burglary, 224 looting at gunpoint and 337 incidents of theft took place in the federal capital during March 15, 2006 to 07, besides a suicide attack.

Water was being supplied to Islamabad from Simly and Khanpur dams instead of Rawal dam, he said, water filtration plants had been installed in the capital for purification of water while 182 tubewells were also working in the capital.

Tehmina Daultana of PML-N said that substandard and contaminated water was being supplied to prisoners specially in Vehari jail. She said the government must take notice of the deteriorating situation.

Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain expressed annoyance over the absence of several ministers from the house during the question hour.