ISLAMABAD: Following the revelation about the allotment of 62 plots to a landowner on bogus claims, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has suspended 18 officials for “misconduct and corruption.”

A two-member inquiry committee headed by Deputy Director General Environment Rana Tahir Hassan Khan and Deputy Director Security Manzoor Hussain pointed out that CDA’s revenue and land directorate on the basis of bogus claims had approved the allotment of the 62 plots in I-15 to the heirs of a landowner.

The balloting for the plots was held last year, but allotment letters were not issued; therefore, the authority did not face any financial loss as letters are still in custody of CDA. However, the land directorate officials illegally established the alleged bogus claims for entitlement of 62 plots, said the report.

According to a notification issued by the CDA, officials Mohammad Ramzan, Mubashir Hussain Shah, Saeed Akhtar, Mohammad Shakeel, Mohammad Younas, Aqeel Khan, Wajahat Hussain, Noman Khan, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Ibrar, Yaseen Khan, Amir Raza, Abid Hussain, Rashid Mahmood, Mohammad Asif, Mudasir and Iqbal Hussain have been suspended.

Formal inquiry to be conducted to establish role of each official for starting disciplinary proceedings against them, says official

A senior officer of the CDA said a formal inquiry will be conducted to establish the role of each of the individuals for starting disciplinary proceedings against them.

In the same case, a former member CDA is in jail for approving the balloting based on the file and record prepared by these officials.

“These officials after completing the documents presented the file to the member to get his approval for balloting,” said an official. If the entire work was bogus, there is a need to check if the member was kept in the dark. Is he languishing in jail because of the fault of the officials or he was privy to the bogus case.

The balloting for the allotment of 62 residential plots in I-15 was held on August 9, 2023, and conducted by Nadra.

The committee recommended that balloting for the plots may be cancelled as per the rules otherwise the parties involved in the process will try to get their claims through litigation.

The committee also recommended assigning the Directorate of Security with the task to retrieve the original file of an agro-farmallotted toAkbar Ali, son of Khan Sahab Kamal Din, in whose name the attempt to allot the 62 plots was made, from the concerned officials of the Directorate of Land.

It said an amount of Rs302,988 paid against the acquisition of land from Akbar Ali may in 1975 should also be collected from his legal heirs with the annual bank rate of interest/profit for the period of 49 years.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024