Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The CDA’s negligence is encouraging influential people to take advantage of civic body’s rules and regulations, to gain their own personal benefits, which causes hefty loss to civic agency.

The auditors of the CDA have pointed out that due to the sheer negligence of the concerned departments, the civic management has suffered a loss of Rs 3.34 billion due to post allotment amendment of Plot No 3 at Club Road and the non-conforming use of the basement of Plot No 26 at Sector G-6, which was actually a car parking area of the plaza which is being utilised for commercial purposes and “Save Mart Shopping Mall” is also located there.

It has been learnt by the documents, available with Daily Times that due to the post allotment of the old plot No 5, the new No 3 Club Road Islamabad was allotted on lease to Travelodge Ltd on May 27, 1974 measuring 1000 square yards, for the purpose of establishment and running a single storey motel.

The auditors observed that the “later on the lessee requested for a temporary construction of 02 marquees consist of ground floors and the first floor measuring 72,076 square feet covered area in violation of the master plan of the federal capital.

So the approval granted in violation of the master plan vide letter no.CDA/DD(BCS-III)(3)/ClubRoad/2013/304 dated 13 June 2013 is quite unjustified and falls under non-conforming use in violation of allotment conditions so the allotment of the plot should be cancelled and put to auction for its proper use and to earn revenue in the shape of a fresh allotment at the current market rate, which is 417,000 per square yard”

Documents reveal that due to the violation of the agreement and the commercial use of the said premises the authority sustained a maximum loss of 333.6 million rupees.

Another irregularity was pointed out by the auditors that the plot measuring 3000 square yards was allotted in Sector G-6 Markaz, to construct a marriage hall with a basement, which should only be utilised for car parking. “Records produced to the auditors indicate that the basement of the said building was utilised as “Save Mart Shopping Mall” — against the terms and conditions of the allotment letter and against the bye laws of the building and zoning regulations 2005, which tantamount to non-conforming use of the premises”, the auditors say.

An official document says that the notices in this regard were issued to remove the non-conforming structure but no progress was forthcoming which resulted into non-recovery on account of commercialisation of three basements worth Rupees 4,658,916.

It has been observed by the concerned department of the civic management that the violation of the building and zoning regulations 2005, were committed in March 2016, at Plot No.26 Sector G-6, Islamabad. The area of the three basements was 7,764.86 square yards and the rate for commercialisation was Rs 600 per square yard as per the Annexure-B 6.6 (10) of the zoning regulations 2005.

In the given scenario, the civic authority has sustained a loss of 4.659 million rupees. These amounts could have been recovered if the Authority had done some practical work instead of merely serving notices to the violators.

While talking to Daily Times the Director Building Control Section (BCS) said, that the notices were issued to the said violators, If the administration and lessee did not stop non-conforming use then civic body is the authority to seal their premises.