Daily Times

The demarcation of Park Road Islamabad will be started from tomorrow to identify the state land grabbed by land tycoon on special directives of State Minister Shehryar Afridi. The commercial owners of various buildings accused various CDA officials of taking bribes from them on the surety that their building would be legalized despite being on state land. Daily Times learnt.

A source in the civic agency denied these allegations adding that State Minister Shehryar Afridi is willing to retrieve the government land on any cost and under the special directives of state minister; we will take action despite pressures from owners.

A trader owner while talking exclusively with Daily Times wishing not to be named, told, “when I was constructing the building, a senior official of the civic agency told me that I am responsible on behalf of CDA if someone will get action against me regarding my building and they told me that they have legalized my building while I already paid 2 million rupees to that official of CDA.”

When Daily Times asked, “after their (CDA) promise, did you demand some documents of legal cover?” he didn’t reply but additionally told that “I will knock the door of the court against the accused for justice who took money while not legalizing my building.” It is pertinent to mention that he accused some senior officials of CDA for heavy bribes.

Another owner of a commercial building shared same experience claiming to give 1 million rupees to two senior officials of the civic agency for getting permission on CDA land; but the owner hasn’t received documents of legal cover.

A CDA team will lead the project of demarcation from tomorrow to identify the state land as well check for the grabbers inside civic agency. Various influential owners of the properties have been lobbying to safeguard their land from demarcation on CDA land and to buy the loyalties of CDA’s top officials to influence the demarcation team for hiding their illegalities. However, an official of the civic agency responded that they were not responsible of getting alleged bribes but will do demarcation honestly withstanding any pressure.

He added that Park road is crowded of land grabbers where school, one campus of varsity, traders’ buildings, and housing societies as well as couple of other buildings established on CDA land will be retrieved at any cost.

CDA officials avoided availability for comments on the allegation of bribes.

Published in Daily Times, January 10^th 2019.