A parliamentary panel Friday expressed serious concern over non-implementation of its decisions and recommendations made during previous meetings and directed Capital Development Authority (CDA) to implement them in letter and spirit.
A meeting of subcommittee of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was held under the convenorship of MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed to discuss the following issues: (i) the provision of alternative land to the affectees of nurseries, especially in Sector H-9 Islamabad; (ii) number of affectees of all sectors of Islamabad, reasons of delay in provision of alternative land/compensation and details of the court cases in connection with land disputes; and (iii) beneficiaries and affectees of Sector E-12, Islamabad, to whom the CDA has allocated plots.
The panel was informed that the CDA announced Sector E-12 in 1985 but till now it has failed to acquire the land for it. The owners of the land were told by the civic agency that they would be given plots in Sector I-12, but the deal could not be materialized as yet. As a result, the landowners refused to vacate the land.
Moreover, there were also allegations that some officials of the CDA tried to include fake land owners in the award. They also allowed people to construct buildings and boundary walls to get compensation against the built-up property (BuP). The BuP compensation is paid for the building material even to those who are not the owners of the land.
During the verification of the 1,935 affected people in 2007, as many as 1,054 were found to be fake, who are being probed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
During the meeting, Member Planning and Design CDA, Asad Kayani said that though compensation had been paid to 80 percent of the affectees except for the BuP, the landowners were not allowing the CDA to start the development work there.
The chairman of the committee looked annoyed and said the CDA had made a joke with the committee because not only the member was unaware of the latest development but also outdated information showing work could not be started due to the stay order were submitted to the committee.
The panel directed Kayani to implement recommendations and directives of parliamentary panel in letter and spirit and provide all information about development of stalled Sector E-12 and Sector H-9 to the committee in the next meeting.
The committee also discussed the nonfunctional lifts, absence of lift operators from duties, and non-provision of heaters in the family suites at the Parliament Lodges during winter season.
The chairman was of the view that such petty matters should be resolved by the concerned authority on its own and directed the CDA to address the complaints of the parliamentarians in accordance with the rules and regulations and without discrimination.