CDA launches housing project without acquiring land

Islamabad mayor says land possession issues will be resolved soon

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has launched a housing scheme under the name of Park Enclave, launched its two more phases, and collected money from people without even having physical possession of land for the project, it has been learnt on authority. 

The CDA confirmed to The News that during the incumbent PML-N government tenure, two more phases namely Phase-I Extension (2014) and Phase-II (2015) has been launched and money collected from people, though the process of possession of land for Phase-1 has not been completed yet. However, the CDA insists that no politician is directly linked with the new phases of the project. The CDA also admits that it failed to acquire land completely for Phase-1 despite passage of six years.

The CDA said no action had been initiated against the DMG officers, who were responsible for the mismanagement in the housing project. The CDA, after being taken over by the incumbent mayor, is doing its best to undo the wrongs and overcome the administrative failures. Sources told The News that now when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken notice of many wrongdoings in the CDA and ordered for providing relief to the affectees, the DMG officers concerned have started suggesting to the top management to convert lands meant for mosques, playgrounds, hospitals and schools into residential plots in an attempt to silence the affectees. Apparently, no investigation agency is paying heed to the problem because of involvement of the top DMG baboos.

The CDA management, however, says that it has not approved any proposal of converting mosques, parks or schools plots into residential plots, and it is working on finding out some other solution.

According to sources, the authority has made payments for Mauza Kuri, Mauza Reharra, but not for a chunk of land in Mauza Mojuaha. The DMG officers sold one plot of Park Enclave at the rate of more than Rs12 million. Sources said some 7,200 people made claims when ‘Built up Property’ (BuP) second award was announced, but some 3,000 claims were genuine. Officials show documents to establish that the DMG officers, who always continue to deal for precious lands in the capital through goldmine of CDA, never resolved this issue for their vested interests.

The CDA documents show that the authority is expecting to receive around Rs5,600 million under the head of Park Enclave, but it plans to spend only Rs200 million on this project during 2016-17. Allottees of even the first phase of Park Enclave are waiting for justice but more and more phases and sectors are being announced to mint money. 

The News sent six questions to the Islamabad mayor, who is also the CDA chairman. The questions and their response is as under:-

Q-1: Whether the CDA had the physical possession of whole land meant for its scheme Park Enclave Phase-I at the time of announcement of the scheme?

Ans-1: At that time, the CDA did not have possession of the whole area.

Q-2: Refer question-1, what is the situation now?

Ans-2: We have 92% possession of the site and infrastructure development work stands completed in the possessed area. Further, possession to allottees has also been given and construction of houses has now started.

Q-3: Is it true that Park Enclave Phase-I Extension was launched (in 2014) during the incumbent PML-N government in a situation when the CDA didn't even have physical possession of complete land for Phase-I?

Ans-3: Park Enclave Phase-II was launched during the incumbent government while Phase-I was launched during the last government. With hectic efforts, this government has substantially completed the infrastructure development works in Phase-I and handed over the possession to the allotees.

Q-4: Is it true that Phase-II of Park Enclave was also launched (in 2015) during the incumbent PML-N government tenure while the CDA didn't even have physical possession of complete land for Phase-1?

Ans-4: Yes, Phase-II was launched (in 2015) and the issues of possession will be resolved soon. Allottees only made down payment and further payment will only be demanded when the CDA will start development work.

Q-5: Who from the PML-N government was asking the CDA to do this?

Ans-5: There is no politician on record from the PML-N.

Q-6: How much money was collected from people by the CDA in lieu of Phase-I of Park Enclave until Dec 31, 2014, and how much of it was spent on development of this specific part till that time? Please also share latest figures of money collected and spent on development of this particular part of Phase-1 until now.

Ans-6: Rs1.1 billion has been spent on the project against contract amount of Rs1.26 billion.