ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: Two government departments in the capital city have entered into a row over ownership of an office building, it has been learnt.
Both the Islamabad capital territory administration and the department of libraries (Capital Administration Development) support their ownership claims about the public building with allotment letters issued from the Cabinet Division earlier this year (copies available with Dawn).
The department of libraries insists that the project wing building, previously a property of the devolved Ministry of Education, adjacent to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Sector H-9 was allotted for the Islamabad Public Library (IPL).
A letter from the Cabinet Division shows that on February 8, 2012, the accommodation allocation committee (AAC0 allotted the building to the department of libraries.
However, another letter from the Cabinet Division issued on the same date states that the committee had allotted the building to the ICT administration for its offices.
The department of libraries alleged that the ICT was using force to evict the library. The ICT was, however, quick to deny any such accusation.
The library was renamed as Islamabad Public Library soon after it was shifted from Karachi to a rented space in Super Market in 1981. It then moved to another space at Sector G-8, where it paid Rs3 million per year in rent.
The department of library claimed that it had been operating in the project wing building since June 2011, where it had shifted some 60,000 books.
The collection included 13,000 children’s books that were saved after the model children library was destroyed during the Lal Majsid incident in 2007.
“We have all the necessary documentations to prove the ownership of the building,” said Director General Department of Libraries Chaudhry Nazir, holding up another letter that showed the Estate Office had “withdrawn/cancelled the allotment of the project wing building to the Islamabad capital territory administration.”
Mr Nazir said the directions from the government were that the ICT administration would occupy only some portion of the curriculum wing building but it was trying to occupy all the four office blocks.
Nonetheless, ICT administration maintained that it had allotment letters for all the four office blocks - the curriculum wing building, two extension blocks adjacent and the project wing building.
“The four office blocks have been closed for the last two years. If the ICT gets these offices, it can save the government Rs1.65 billion sanctioned for construction of a new building for the local administration,” said a spokesperson for theICT administration, explaining how the massive sum could then be used to build 50 schools, 20 libraries and fetch 10 million books.
The official maintained that ICT was ready to share the space (project wing block) with the department of libraries and both parties could operate without any problem.
“And if this option does not work, the ICT has offered a similar space in Sector F-8, which is in the heart of the city,” said the official, emphasising that they did not need new and fancy office spaces.
The spokesperson denied any use of force to evict the library out of the project wing building.
“If the department of libraries has reservations over allotments, it should have written to the registrar of the Islamabad High Court, to the commissioner’s office or to the secretary Cabinet Division instead of making a mountain out of a mole hill,” said the spokesperson, suggesting an amicable way to settle the differences.