The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday informed a parliamentary body that two sitting senators are pleading the cases of two officials nabbed by the bureau for the their alleged role in changing the layout plan of housing schemes in the federal capital.
Zahir Shah, a director general of the NAB, gave this statement before the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice. He told the committee that the NAB has made enough progress in the investigation of illegal housing schemes but unfortunately two sitting senators are pleading the cases of two officials - one from Capital Development Authority (CDA) Iftikhar Haidri and other one Malik Din, Ex-Circle Registrar Co-operative Housing Societies from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) - for their alleged involvement in changing the layout plan of the housing schemes.
"The two senators who are pleading the cases of two officials from CDA and ICT are Senator Mohammad Ali Saif and Senator Babar Awan who are also members of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice," another official told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity after committee's meeting. Earlier, during the committee meeting, Senator Mohammad Javed Abbasi who presided over the meeting stated that being lawyers, the senators can plead any case.
While briefing the committee about illegal housing schemes, Shah said that NAB is currently working over 36 cases related to illegal housing schemes and has made progress in this regard. Serious violations have been observed in matters related to co-operative housing schemes, he said, adding that several housing schemes have also been set up in National Park area of the federal capital. He said that irregularities have been found in Bahria Enclave Housing Scheme and the CDA has cancelled its No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Shah also presented some recommendations to the committee including setting up of a joint inquiry team to identify the role of CDA officials, ICT administration and other regarding the mushroom growth of illegal housing societies established in Islamabad. CDA should acquire land for sectoral development as it was observed that non permissible, small private housing schemes were developed on inherited land. The recommendation also included acquisition of land in Zone-3 for Margalla Hills National Park and regularisation of a scheme launched before Zoning regulations 1992. He also suggested a revisit of Zone-4 regulations in light of Supreme Court's order. He was of the view that CDA should launch a low cost scheme.
Waseem Ahmed Khan, CDA Member planning & design, also briefed the committee about 22 co-operative housing schemes. He said the authority has conducted a land audit of some co-operative housing schemes and found major irregularities, adding that sponsors of the schemes usually made changes in the approved layout plans without approval of CDA and changed public amenity areas or land approved for community services into commercial/residential and other purposes.
He said that in some housing schemes community services are completely changed into residential and commercial uses like sites for graveyards are converted into saleable areas. The committee expressed serious concerns over the violation committed in co-operative housing schemes and asked NAB and CDA to take action against the housing schemes that have changed the layout plan. The meeting was also attended by Senator Saeed Ghani, Ayesha Raza Farooq and senior officials of NAB, ICT administration and CDA.