ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has thrown another salvo at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal has ordered an inquiry into the matter of conversion of a community plot into a commercial plaza against the rules, regulations and building by-laws of the civic body.
The key accused, Senator Saifullah Bangish passed away in February 2018. Still the press release issued by NAB names the late senator along with allegedly ‘silent’ CDA officers who played their part in construction of illegal commercial plaza in Sector G-6.
In October 2017, Senator Bangish was accused of violating the CDA’s building bylaws for constructing a commercial plaza on a plot meant for a marriage hall in the G-6, adjacent to the Lal Masjid. Senator Bangash was constructing a multi-storey plaza on a service road behind the Aabpara Sunday Bazaar.
On closer inspection, the documents of the plot at CDA show that the mall’s operators had opened a shopping mall in the basement that was originally meant to be a car park. Along with this, authorities at the civic agency say that the building owner was constructing the site without acquiring a no-objection certificate (NoC) on fire prevention and life safety measures as required by the CDA rules and regulations.
On Monday, along with the NAB inquiry against the Metropolitan Club, a project of around 1.9 billion rupees spread over an area of 22 acres with a covered area of 265,000 square feet, came along with the Public Accounts Committee directing CDA not to extend contract of the Monal Restaurant at Peer Suhawa.
It is pertinent to mention here that the audit officials told the committee that in 2007, CDA had given the land of parks for the restaurant which was a violation of the rules. The committee paid no heed to the opinions of CDA officials that the land given to the restaurant was provided under public welfare and FIA had cleared the matter after an investigation.
