Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has said that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) lacks a standard criteria regarding appointment of members of CDA Board.
The meeting of the committee was chaired by Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood in which the additional secretary Establishment Division briefed about the criteria for appointment of the members of CDA Board, with particular reference to the qualification, domicile and mode of appointment of the incumbent members of the CDA Board. He said there is no selection criteria with respect to qualification mentioned in the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of CDA Board except the Finance Member. He disclosed the Establishment Division forwards the summary to the Prime Minister for selection of members. The chairman committee seeks recommendations for the appointment of Members of CDA Board.
The committee issued privilege motion against secretary Islamabad Club and ordered his arrest warrants if he fails to attend next meeting of the committee. He also directed the chairman CDA to measure the land occupied by the Islamabad Club.
Senator Talha sought the details of plots given in the name of welfare.
The members of the committee said that the club charges reasonably high fee from members. The committee informed that CDA has allotted 346 acres of land to the club. However, the members of the committee were told that not only more than 1,000 acres of land have been illegally occupied by the club but the main highway has also been disturbed.
The additional secretary Establishment Division also informed the committee that there is no judgement by the Supreme Court on repatriation of deputationists. However, the judgement was meant for the government of Sindh and it was sent to Establishment Division to amend the service structure accordingly.
Senator Kalsoom Perveen said the Supreme Court's order was misused, which was originally meant for repatriation of the deputationists.
Senator Shahi Syed said the order of the Supreme Court was supposed to be for all deputationists in the country.
The chairman committee directed the Establishment Division and Law Ministry to submit details of the order along with its implementation status within three weeks.
The committee also observed that the CDA has not been approving the building maps for over last 4 to 5 years, which is why the development process is slow. The committee was told that only 10 building maps are pending with the CDA, which will be approved within a month.
It was observed that plots worth billions were sold at low cost and no development was made due to stay order.
The committee also sought the record of all plots where parks, mosques and welfare centers were supposed to be built, whereas the land is being used for other purposes, besides details of nursing university whose land is illegally occupied by some minister. The chairman also directed the CDA to check out the problems with H-8 Bridge.
The committee was briefed on the progress of extension of Signal Free Islamabad Expressway from Zero Point to Rawat, GT Road. One part of the project from Zero Point to Faizabad has been completed with Rs 1.57 billion against two years of guarantee. From Faizabad to Koral Chowk, the road will be widened and two interchanges will be constructed, while the work has already been awarded. However, the work has not been awarded from the Koral Chowk to GT Road, the meeting was briefed.