ISLAMABAD: The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and the Ministry of Communication are at odds with each other over the use of offices on the second floor of D-Block in the Secretariat Building.

CADD on Monday locked the offices used by the Ministry of Communication, saying all the offices on the floor were meant for use by CADD only.

Sources said that officials of the communication ministry came to work in the morning to find their offices locked and taken over by CADD.

Through his public relations officer, Additional Secretary Qaiser Majeed Malik told Dawn that CADD had indeed locked the offices being used by the communications ministry because, he said, they ‘had no other option’.

CADD locked out ministry of communication officers and took back possession of rooms left behind by now devolved education ministry

He said that even though a notice was served on the ministry last month, communications officials had not vacated the rooms in the specified time.

Before the 18th Amendment to the constitution was approved, the floor housed offices of the education ministry.

After the devolution of the education ministry CADD was notified to deal with education in the Islamabad Capital Territory and the floor was handed over to CADD.

Sources said that at the time, CADD’s domain was limited which was why it did not take over all the rooms on the floor.

The Ministry of Communication, which is housed on the third floor of the building, began using the empty rooms on the second floor because it was short on office space.

The Ministry of Industries and Production also took control of some of the rooms left behind by the defunct education ministry.

After the appointment of Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as state minister, the prime minister also put administrative control of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) under CADD.

A CADD officer said: “Since CDA became part of CADD, we were short on office space which is why we took over the rooms.”

Officials of the communication ministry, who found themselves without offices on Monday, continued on with their work in other offices of the ministry on the third floor.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Communication could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2016