ISLAMABAD: It took the Capital Development Authority (CDA) a year to complete an inquiry into the violations committed by the Safa Gold Mall and the role of its own officers in facilitating them.

According to sources, a preliminary inquiry had already established that officials in the CDA’s Building Control Section and Planning Wing granted the owner of Safa Gold Mall undue favours by allowing post-bid changes to the building plan.

At first, the owner of the mall was only allowed to construct a ground floor and four others. However, CDA officers later allowed him to construct eight storeys.

The CDA had launched the inquiry rather halfheartedly, and was directed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to expedite the inquiry a couple of months ago when the mall was sealed for committing violations. The IHC had asked for the inquiry to be expedited so that the role of CDA officers could also be determined.

The inquiry committee, headed by Member Engineering Shahid Sohail, had then hastened the process and according to sources, had uncovered the names of those officers who granted undue favours to the mall’s owner.

The sources said the inquiry is almost complete and will likely be submitted to the CDA chairman in the next three days, so that it can be forwarded to the IHC.

A source privy to the developments said CDA officers held previous violations, committed during the construction of a hotel in 2008 and the relaxation of rules for the owners of the hotel, as precedent when allowing relaxations to the owner of Safa Gold Mall.

He said members of the inquiry committee wanted to include the names of the CDA officials responsible, despite being pressured by various stakeholders.

When asked, the head of the inquiry committee, Mr Sohail, said the inquiry was nearly complete. “We will be finalising the report over the next few days,” he said.

A CDA official said that if the inquiry was completed, it would serve as good precedent. “Those responsible for allowing post-bid changes should be punished to serve as an example,” he said.

Back in 2010, the CDA management had auctioned off Plot No.5 in Jinnah Super Market, where CDA’s health directorate was once located. The owner of the mall, Rana Abdul Qayum, and others won the bid and constructed the Safa Gold Mall.

According to CDA’s director of building control, those who were allotted the plot were first given permission to build just a ground floor and four others, which was later relaxed to a ground floor and seven additional storeys. The mall owner had also requested permission to build another floor for a cinema, which was declined.

The mall was sealed in July this year and reopened on court directions. The matter is currently in court, where the CDA is to submit the inquiry report.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2016