ISLAMABAD:
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is said to have retained illegal possession of 1,083 government residences located in prime areas of the federal capital under the jurisdiction of the estate office, while the authority is also said to have failed to deposit the mandatory 5 per cent standard rent into the federal treasury since the time of allocation.
The Ministry of Housing and Works decided to refer the matter to the CDA chairman, while the Public Accounts Committee recommended to the Housing Secretary to resolve the matter as a matter of urgency.
According to documents available with The Express PK Press Club, audit authorities raised objections after the estates office scrapped all housing pools except those allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a sensitive public institution, while imposing a cap on the number of government residences to prevent any further increase.
Under clause 4 (1 and 2) of the Housing Allocation Rules, 2002, government residences allocated to institutions receiving funds for the construction of their own housing colonies were to be taken back and all other pools were to be abolished.
However, CDA officials reportedly refused to leave the residences. Sources claimed that certain elements within the estates office were complicit in the continued occupation of these properties, which forced thousands of government employees to reside in expensive private accommodation despite long waiting lists for official housing.
The documents further suggest that due to alleged collusion by the Probate Office officials, the residences could not be retrieved even though Rule 24 of the Probate Office Rules allows the authorities to cancel the allotments and repossess the properties at any time.
Sources further revealed that several original beneficiaries occupying the CDA-owned residences have already retired, while in many cases the stipends have reportedly been transferred by CDA officials to their children.
It was also alleged that the 5 percent rent collected from the occupants was retained and used by the CDA itself instead of being deposited into the federal treasury as required by law.
