ISLAMABAD: Two years have passed since the inauguration of a project for a nursing university, the foundation stone of which was laid by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in last January, but the Capital Develop ment Authority (CDA) has failed to get possession of land for the project from local landowners.

In 2014, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain had announced funding for a nursing university, and it was decided that Bahrain would pay for the university’s construction while Pakistan would provide the land.

The university is to be constructed on 237 kanals on Park Road, in the Chak Shahzad.

After acquiring the land, CDA was to hand over possession to the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) to execute the project.

After acquiring the land, the civic authority was to hand over possession to the Ministry of National Health Services to execute the project

But sources said that repeated requests from the ministry have not moved the authority to resolve its dispute with landowners, particularly regarding built-up property (BuP), and get possession of the land.

The authority handled the project poorly from the beginning. After King Hamad’s announcement, the CDA allotted the required land to the ministry without bothering to gain possession of the land over from the local owners.

The officer who allotted the land without having possession of it was removed from his post, but the issue remains unresolved.

CDA officials said there was a big difference between the authority’s own calculations for the BuP award and the demands of locals.

The officials said the CDA had acquired the land in that area in 1981, including the land for the proposed university, but did not announce the BuP award.

The CDA compensated most locals for the land, but it was supposed to give rehabilitation plots to displaced people against the BuP award, they said. The authority left the BuP issue unresolved, resulting in the proliferation of buildings.

The authority finally announced the BuP award in 2017 to pave the way for the construction of the university. It was initially announced that 782 people were eligible for the BuP award.

According to CDA rules, the owner of a house with 300sq ft of covered area will receive a 25ft x 50ft plot, while the owner of a house over 300sq ft is entitled to a 30ft x 60ft plot.

Sources said controversy had emerged regarding this award, as some people had filed applications at various forums challenging the CDA and claiming the list included bogus claims.

Sources said the National Accountability Bureau has also started an investigation into the BuP award, but the bureau’s current investigation had not pushed the CDA to take any steps to gain possession of the land.

CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali, when contacted, said that the university has yet to be built. When asked about possession of the land for the university, he said he would respond after getting information from the concerned officers, but then did not respond.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2018