CDA seals mall for violating building plan

Published July 29, 2016
A security guard outside the mall looks at the CDA notice.— Online
A security guard outside the mall looks at the CDA notice.— Online
A security guard outside the mall looks at the CDA notice.— Online
A security guard outside the mall looks at the CDA notice.— Online

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority sealed the upscale Safa Gold Shopping Mall in the Jinnah Super Market on Thursday for violating building codes and the original lay-out plan.

A CDA team headed by CDA Director Building Control Shafi Marwat sealed all entrances into the mall except one, left open as an emergency exit, in the presence of City Magistrate Imran Zia.

But inaction against the CDA officials who allegedly connived in the violations sharply contrasted with the apparently bold move.


Authority ‘unwilling’ to proceed against complicit officers; mall owner challenges action in court


Sources said a formal inquiry against the guilty officers had been delayed while a preliminary inquiry estimated that the favours they extended to the mall owner cost the CDA around Rs200 million.

Until responsibility for the loss is fixed, no action can be taken against the officers, sources said.

CDA documents seen by Dawn show that the management of the civic body ordered Member (Engineering) Shahid Sohail on October 22, 2014 to inquire into the matters of the Safa Gold Mall and charge sheets were issued against Director General (Planning) Sarwar Sindhu, his deputy Ghulam Murtaza Malik and Director (Architecture) Ali Abdullah and his deputy Ammar Idress on February 4, 2016.

Since then, the inquiry has been “under process”, according to the documents.

It was in 2010 that the then-CDA management decided to auction Plot Number 5 at Jinnah Super Market, where the CDA’s health directorate was once located.

Sources said Rana Abdul Qayum and others won the “potential plot”, created by the Planning Wing of the CDA on the direction of the management and constructed the Safa Gold Mall on it.

CDA’s director building control said that initially, the allottee was given permission to build a ground floor plus four storeys. Later, his request to allow him raise a ground floor plus seven storeys was granted. Ultimately, it ended up being eight storeys following another request to add a cinema house to the mall.

“But CDA withdrew the permission for the cinema later and directed the mall owner not to construct it. In fact, he is a defaulter because he did not honour his commitment regarding circulation areas, such as corridors and walkways,” an insider told Dawn.

“We were left with no option but to seal the mall,” he said. When asked about the inquiry report, he said: “The formal inquiry is in its final stages.”

The CDA had allowed the owner of Safa Gold Mall to construct the cinema in 2012 and later backtracked in 2015. The mall owner filed a case in the high court, where CDA’s stance was that the owner, in connivance with some CDA officials, had made post-bid changes for the construction of the cinema, which caused huge losses to the civic agency.

The CDA submissions to the court also mentioned the finding of its preliminary inquiry that CDA officials’ connivance helped the management increase the number of storeys from ground plus four to ground plus seven. It also pointed out that the building plan, which was approved for the construction of the cinema in 2012 was illegal, as this plot was never meant for a cinema house.

Additionally, the owner of mall was alleged to have encroached upon a large portion of adjacent CDA land where he has placed generators and AC plants. The mall is also using space by covering up a nullah with the permission of the authority, according to CDA officials.

Mall owner Rana Abdul Qayum said the sealing of his property was illegal as he had permission to construct ground plus seven storeys.

“I have challenged the CDA’s action in court [on Thursday], which directed CDA to submit its point of view by the next date of hearing,” he told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2016

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