Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A nexus of corruption emerged on Monday, when a protest was held by the real estate brokers in front of the Chairman’s office of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The real estate agents declared the authority as a corrupt institution by levelling allegations of bribe collection.

A large number of real estate agents on Monday morning gathered in front of the main gate of CDA Secretariat in sector G-7. The protesters’ were holding placards containing statements against the authority’s officials and their malpractices.

The mob headed by leaders of Islamabad Estate Agents Association was restricted to enter in the building by the security staff of the CDA at the main gate, but the protesters forcefully moved inside the premises and occupied the main entrance of the executive block.

The protesters were chanting slogans against the CDA administration and asked for a meeting with Chairman CDA Maroof Afzal. A heavy number of police personnel were also approached at the CDA secretariat, when the situation become tense between protesters and the CDA security staff at the entrance of the executive block.

The police baton charged the mob and arrested several protesters from the site and shifted them to the local police station, whereas a contingent of police was also deputed at the main entrance of the CDA secretariat.

An inspector of the special branch briefed the Daily Times on the condition of anonymity that the protesters after reaching out to the executive block gave the deadline of 30 minutes to come outside and threatened otherwise the mob will enter into the building. He said further that when SP Rizwan Gondal came on the spot the protesters also misbehaved with them. He added, “It was the behaviour of protesters, which forced the police to take strict action against them.”

Police officials stopped the entry of any irrelevant person in the premises of the secretariat to avoid further assembly of protesters inside the building, whereas a considerable number of estate agents were also present outside the main door.

Later, former Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Islamabad Mian Aslam, Pakistan Teheek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leaders Ali Awan and Amir Mughal and trade union leader Ajmal Baloch came on the spot to mediate between the authorities and the protesters.

The mediators engaged Member Planning and Design CDA Waseem Ahmed Khan in his office for more than two hours and settled the matter amicably.

While talking to the Daily Times, the PTI’s leader Ali Awan said: “The member planning has assured us to notify a committee under the chair of a Member of the authority to resolve the matter, whereas all the arrested protesters and leaders would be released and no criminal proceedings would be launched against them.”

The Chairman, Islamabad Estate Agents Association Amjad Abbasi said; “We have become wearied due to the behaviour of the authority’s officials as everybody here from a gatekeeper to the director is involved in corruption.”

He briefed that there was a need of three non-objection certificates (NOCs) from revenue, estate management and building control departments of the CDA to transfer the ownership of a property in Islamabad, whereas the one window operation was introduced by CDA to provide these three NOCs from one office to make system more speedy and functional, but it does not work properly.” “In routine, we submit our case on one window operation, but the officers do not clear the file until we don’t satisfy the officers of all the three departments separately by giving them bribe”, the association leader allegedly added.

Arshad Chaudhry, an estate agent said; ” The CDA has imposed a ban on the transfer of plots in I-15 and asked the allotees to pay Rs. 850,000 as redevelopment charges, whereas the people have already paid Rs. 250,000 as development charges.” He said; “We demanded to stop bribe collection in the authority and also to lift up the ban imposed on the transfer of land in sector I-15.”