Illegal occupation of govt land: PAC summons CDA chief, housing ministry secretary today

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, while summoning the Capital Development Authority chairman and Ministry of Housing and Works secretary today (Thursday) in connection with illegal occupation of land of millions of rupees by an influential person, directed the Islamabad Inspector General Police to take action against illegal occupier of precious government land. It was decided in a PAC meeting held on Wednesday with its Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah in the chair to examine the audit paras related to the Karachi Port Trust.

At the start of the meeting, PAC member Dr Arif Alvi pointed out to the PAC chairman that he, along with another PAC member Mian Abdul Manan, visited the site of the Federal Government Officers Housing Society on the direction of PAC, but the officials of the Ministry of Housing and Works did not cooperate with them. “We got to know that the initial map of the society, which was approved on May 28, 2012, was now being revised and carved out new 33 plots from the land reserved for graveyard and even four multi-story buildings were being constructed there, which is violation as creating new plots means corruption,” he told PAC.

He suggested PAC to direct the CDA to reject the proposal of revised housing society map before a new scam comes up. Mian Abdul Manan told the committee that the scheme even not completed by 2017 and the green belt and graveyard has been relocated while a land of 6 to 9 kannal was allegedly in illegal possession of Jamil Khokhar, against whom an FIR was already registered, but he was roaming freely. He told the committee that under the plan, the houses were to be completed by 2011, but so far [plots] are not handed over to the allottees and the project was incomplete.

The Housing Foundation MD told the committee that this project was initiated in 2012, but still facing the court cases and even 8 to 9 Kannal land was illegally occupied. “The court has constituted a commission on it, and it is expected that the issue will be resolved on the receipt of the report of the commission, and we have sent a revised plan to the CDA for approval,” he told the committee and added that this project would be completed by December 2018.

PAC Member Sardar Ashiq Gopang observed that if one individual Jamil Khokhar has illegally occupied the 9 kannal land then the encroachments must be removed rather than registering the FIR. “The registration of the FIR means to give benefit to the encroacher.

The PAC Chairman, Syed Khursheed Shah, directed to summon the CDA chairman and Ministry of Housing and Works Secretary on Thursday and directed that map of the housing society not to be revised. He also directed to write a letter to IG Police Islamabad to vacate the land from illegal occupant and submit the report to the PAC.