Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat expressing serious concerns over encroachment of five-star hotels on public roads and lands of federal capital and directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to immediately clear the encroachments by using police force and report it to the committee.
The committee met with Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair at Parliament House on Tuesday where it discussed road blockades /barriers in front of Marriott Hotel, Serena Hotel and illegal parking used by Marriot Hotel administration in the adjoining green belt, sales tax on local natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and others.
Talha Mehmood said Marriot Hotel had illegally occupied half of the public road by placing blocks and barriers and used adjoining green belt area as parking, adding Serena Hotel also occupied public land and road. He said CDA should explain why and how those five stars hotels illegally occupied public land and roads, he questioned.
The CDA official told the committee members that notices were issued to the hotels while according to the police, blocks and barriers were placed due to security threats. He said land was given for parking near Ataturk Road in 2002 but not on lease. The road and street behind the Serena Hotel had been cleared, he added.
Chairman Committee and Senator Kalsoom Perveen stated that if authority could demolish kiosks and slums in the city then why it could not act against encroachments of five stars hotels. Talha Mehmood said CDA did not spare any encroachments on residential houses including his house. He said, "If the owner of Marriott Hotel wants to put up barriers and place blocks then he should break the wall of his hotel and install it well inside their premises. The hotel cannot occupy public road."
He said, "The road in front of hotel has become narrow and only one motorcar can pass through." He said there was often traffic congestion problems and traffic jam due to narrow road. "I direct the CDA to immediately clear the road with the help of police force. If the police do not obey orders then report it to the committee," the chairman said. The committee also discussed CDA allotment of 10 kanals plot to Pakistan Foreign Office Women's Association (PFOWA).
Chairman Committee said CDA should inform the committee members what procedures were adopted for giving plots. He said according to his information, PFOWA had given plot of 10 kanal to Roots School under agreement. He said Tafahimul Quran also got 10 kanal plot and gave it to Al Shifa University.
Chairman CDA Maroof Afzal said plots would be cancelled under land violations, adding the NOC could be cancelled on the misuse of plot. Talha Mehmood said CDA should submit detailed report on the issue to the committee within a week. While discussing the issue of CNG and LNG, Senator Shahid Syed said five percent sales tax had been imposed on LNG and it was being giving to Punjab while 17 percent sales tax gas had been imposed on domestic natural gas in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which was injustice. He said LNG was being used in Sindh after gasification at Karachi while same amount of natural gas was being provided to Punjab.