ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was shocked to learn on Tuesday that while the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had paid a major housing developer “overnight” in 2008-2009 for acting as a bridge between the civic agency and landowners in sectors H-16 and I-17, it had yet to compensate the vast majority of other locals, who have been running from pillar to post for years to get their money.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by PML-N MNA Rana Mohammad Hayat Khan, was told that the CDA’s land directorate was “a den of corruption” where genuine cases always went unheard.

Ruling party MNA Malik Ibrar told the committee that a few years ago, CDA paid Bahria Town for its land in Moza Noon – where the two sectors were to be located – but didn’t pay any of the other people whose land was also acquired by CDA in the same year.

When the chairman asked CDA Member (Estate) Khushal Khan about the episode, he claimed the transaction took place before he joined the civic agency. However, he defended the decision, saying that CDA probably prioritised payment to major landholders who owned a large chunk of the acquired land.

PML-N MNA claims civic agency paid Bahria Town ‘overnight’ for H-16, I-17 land

However, he said that now, CDA had Rs1.2 billion in its account to pay those displaced, adding that the process would be started in the coming days.

However, State Minister for Capital Administration and Development (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Islamabad MNA Asad Umar and others demanded that a proper inquiry be held to fix responsibility and determine how, when locals were not paid for their land, a property mogul was paid overnight.

The chairman then directed the CADD secretary to hold an inquiry and submit a report within 15 days.

A special 10 year audit of CDA from 2006 to 2016, which was finalised in March this year by the auditor general of Pakistan, revealed that the civic agency had made irregular payments of Rs 575.1 million to Bahria Town and the son of local politician, Usman Nawaz Khokhar, when purchasing land for the two sectors between 2008 and 2009.

The report said that CDA had purchased land from the two property tycoons at Rs830,000 per kanal while the land was actually valued between Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 per kanal.

The audit report stated that both Bahria Town and Khokhar “purchased the land from the owners at a rate of Rs100,000 and Rs200,000 per kanal, as per [the] record”. However, it said that the land award was fixed by the authorities at Rs830,000 per kanal.

The committee also directed CDA to evolve a transparent policy to deal with the claims of those whose land has been acquired by CDA and are entitled to get alternate plots or compensation.

Pims strike

The committee also expressed its displeasure with the CADD ministry for not properly handling the strike by employees of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

“Around 14 months ago, the CADD minister had assured the committee that following new legislation, Pims would be separated from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University, but he has failed to deliver and employees are now on strike,” local MNA Asad Umar told the committee.

Employees have been demanding the separation of the hospital and university, saying that after the merger, their status as civil servants was being compromised and they stood to lose several other benefits. But the CADD minister claimed he had been working to resolve the issue for the past several months.

He told the committee that a summary to separate Pims from the university would be approved by the federal cabinet within a week. After the minister’s assurance, the committee members asked representatives of protesting employees, who were present in the meeting, to call off their strike, a proposal that seemed acceptable to the disgruntled employees.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017