ISLAMABAD: As many as 165 inquiries of mega corruption and malpractices worth billions of rupees are pending in the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Fifty officers and low ranked employees of the department, who are allegedly involved in these mega corruption scandals are “retired”, with the inquiries which were still pending against them having failed to reach a conclusion so far. According to sources, the mega corruption inquiries had been deliberately put into a “cold-storage” in order to protect the civil authority officers as well as the employees involved in the corruption cases. These 165 mega corruption inquiries have become a challenge for the recently appointed Chairman of the civic body as top ranked officers are involved in it. According to reports, as many as 200 hundred high offices of the CDA were involved in this mega corruption, in which 50 had “retired”. Now the corruption inquiries against the “retired” employees have become ineffective as according to the civic body rules, if an employee “retires”, an inquiry against him is made ineffective. The sources disclosed that the most important corruption inquiry pending in this regard was the Diplomatic Shuttle Service scandal inquiry. Irregularities worth million of rupees had been committed in this mega corruption scandal. The most alarming fact of this scandal was the hiding of the file as black sheep within the department deliberately hid the file. The CDA administration has so far failed to recover the specific file. The other mega corruption inquiries like the Centaurus plot and the La Montana Hotel inquiry have also been put into the “cold storage”. However, inquires of the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Society, the Safa Gold Mall illegal allotment and the construction at unauthorised portions are also pending. Iftikhar Hadri, one of the department’s officicals, had been arrested by the NAB in this regard. Similarly, corruption probes worth Rs 20 billion in the Grand Hayat Hotel scandal have not been completed consciously and the Gulf Club inquiry is also under the carpet so far. Moreover, over dozens of inquiries regarding the illegal allotment of plots in the land department of the CDA are pending. Mubashir Shah, an official of the land department of the civic agency was also alleged of allotting a plot to his father-in-law but the CDA has made this case disappear as well. Mubashir Shah is also alleged of allotting plots on previous dates but he could not be brought to justice due to political support and influence. Inquiries of misuse of powers against Assistant Director, Baroz Irfan Khan, Assistant Director, Zeeshan Khan, Assistant Director, Aqil Zardari, were also initiated but later on even these inquiries were stopped. Similarly, Javed Mashih, an officer of BPS-16 is also alleged of making assets more than his status with him purchasing a luxury vehicle worth two million rupees a few days ago. Yet the top official of the civic agency has kept silent in this regard too. Khazir Satti, an official of the CDA, is also alleged of allotting a house owned by the Medical Superintendent of the Capital Hospital, in the name of his wife. Owing to negligence in these inquiries, Syed Mustifan Kazmi, the member environment has retired from his post honourably, because the rules and regulations of the civic agency do not permit to take action against him. The Deputy Director General (Law) Habibur Rehman and the Deputy Director General Environment, Malik Olaia, have also got their retirements and are now free from any departmental inquiries. About three inquiries were going on against the Deputy Director General Planning, Khaliquz Zaman, but he now he too is free because he has also retired. Suhail Arsani, an official of the engineering cadre and Iftikhar Awan, the Deputy Director General (Environment), have also got rid of inquiries as they have also retired. The Deputy Director General Planning, Mehboob Ali Khan, is also free from any inquiry due to his retirement. It is a matter of great interest that inquiries of corruption and misuse of powers against more than hundred employees were going on, and it is a major challenge for Chairman CDA. On one hand, there is pressure on him that he should handle the matters in such a way that his pioneer ruling PML-N may succeed in both the constituencies of the federal capital while on the other hand, pressure is being mounted against him that he should launch an operation against the corrupt mafia and land grabbers in the civic agency.