ISLAMABAD, June 15: Acres of prime lands that were either given by the civic agency free of cost or at throw away prices for social welfare projects were being rented out and sub-leased by the leaseholders in violation of Capital Development Authority (CDA) laws.
Since 1980s, the CDA had been giving away large pieces of land in various sectors mostly for schools and healthcare facilities. Over the years only a few of such projects materialised and private schools came up such as the Beacon House and the City schools in Sector H-8.
However, most of the plots, allotted by the Capital Development Authority to build schools and clinics/hospitals to private individuals/concerns, after lying vacant for years, were being sub-leased. CDA did not see a dime of the millions that went into the pockets of these private individuals.
“These plots were meant for specific purposes especially schools. The idea was to discourage private schools and health care facilities from being opened up in residential areas. That was the only reason the civic authority provided land worth millions either free or at throw away prices,” said a source in the CDA.
The source explained that these plots were non-transferable, could not be sub-leased and their status could not be changed.
Nonetheless, there were several examples when original owners sub-leased the plots to other establishments, which later built their private businesses on them.
According to the source, the Capital Development Authority has turned a blind eye to this illegal practice.
The Islamabad Land Disposal Regulations of the civic agency available with Dawn clearly state, “Plots allotted for social welfare projects are not transferable except after the prior permission of the authority in exceptional cases but strictly for the same purpose for which they were allotted. Otherwise the Authority will reclaim the land together with structure built on it.”
In simple words, CDA can take the land back and the built structure, if it has not been utilized for the specific purpose it has been allotted,” the source explained.
Spread on roughly five acres, the Iqra University was built some 11 years back on a land that had originally been allotted for a healthcare facility.
Dean, Iqra University, Mohammad Islam explained how the land had been gotten on lease from a private individual at market price. “The plot was purchased from an individual who had built a hospital there,” said Mohammad Islam.
The Preston University campus in Sector H-8 was built on a plot that was originally allotted for a school.
The Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, part of the Shifa International Hosipital, came up not long ago on a plot, adjacent to the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) that was initially allotted for a mudrassah free of cost.
In a similar violation of rules, CDA allotted a building near Zero Point to Wapda for its offices. Instead WAPDA sub-leased the building to the Urdu University. It shifted its offices to a nearby plot in G-7/1 also allotted by the civic agency to Wapda to build school for its employees children.
Nawaz Gillani from the Public Relations section in the Urdu University, near Zero Point confirmed that the building was on rent from Wapda.
The administrations of Preston University explained how they purchased the plots on market rate.
“The management paid the market price for this piece of land,” said a senior member of the administration in Preston University, Fazal Elahi.
The Shifa Tameer-e-Millta University recently moved into new premises adjacent to the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Examinations (FBISE). An offshoot of the Shifa International Hospital, H-8, the University was shifted into this new building that was originally allotted to an individual free of cost to build a madressah.
The Registrar Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Mumtaz Raza confirmed that the building was taken on rent from an individual and not from the CDA.
What hurt some officials in the CDA was that the plots allotted for specific purposes were further sub-leased and millions of rupees went into the pockets of private individuals.
“There have been times when CDA did not have enough funds to pay its bills and went without electricity for days. Had the CDA been vigilant the millions could have helped improve its financial problems,” the source said.
However, the CDA chairman, Tahir Shahbaz, explained how two organisations had been warned through notices of cancellation of their plots allotted by CDA for specific purposes – Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation and Wapda.
“We learnt through an advertisement in the newspaper that PTDC was sub-leasing a property provided by CDA for specific purposes. We have warned them through a notice and sought an explanation,” said Tahir Shahbaz.
According to the chairman, there were numerous cases where land had not been properly utilised. “We will serve notices on all those who have misused land for any other purpose than it was originally meant for.”