ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has challenged the built-up property (BuP) review cases of I-12 in Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The land directorate through the law wing of the CDA filed petitions in the IHC, challenging the recent decision of the deputy commissioner Islamabad against the CDA in the review cases.

Officials said the CDA had announced the BuP award of the sector in 2009 but nine years later, in 2018, the DC CDA passed dozens of review cases making more people eligible for 51 plots.

However, the then management of the civic agency had termed the review cases a violation of the CDA ordinance and challenged them before the DC Islamabad, who is competent to hear appeals against the decisions made by the DC CDA.

Verdict was announced against civic authority for filing cases after stipulated time

The officials said in May this year the DC Islamabad decided against the CDA, saying the civic agency had not filed the review cases before his court within the stipulated time.

“We have challenged the decision of the DC Islamabad court regarding review cases of I-12

in the IHC. The IHC is yet to issue a date for hearing of the petition,” said Director Land Shafi Marwat.

“Our management is very clear. We are here to protect CDA’s rights as well as genuine rights of the citizens. In this case, we don’t agree with the reviews made by former CDA DC. That’s why we had filed an appeal before the DC Islamabad who rejected our plea only because of the matter being time-barred,” the director said.

On the other hand, the CDA officials said the worth of one plot in I-12 was around seven million rupees and in this case CDA’s 51 plots were at stake.

During the last few years, the land and security directorates unearthed a number of fraud cases, some of which were referred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The CDA DC court a few years ago announced several dubious review cases of C-15 and 1-12. In 2019, the then director land also took notice of the review cases announced by the DC CDA and issued a show-cause notice to officials who had given favourable statement before the DC CDA to help the applicants get favourable decisions.

A senior official of the CDA said a review can be made on solid grounds that too within five years after the announcement of an award.

“It is very easy even for citizens to check through Google image if a house in question existed when the BuP award was announced or not,” he said, adding CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed had already ordered an inquiry against officers who did not file an appeal against the review cases on time before the DC Islamabad.

The sources said the CDA management had challenged review cases of both the sectors before the DC Islamabad who recently referred most of the cases related to C-15 back to the CDA.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2021