ISLAMABAD, July 19: In the backdrop of MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan’s arrest in land scam, the city managers have warned general public against selling and purchasing plots in the National Police Foundation (NPF) housing scheme in E-11, Dawn learnt on Tuesday. “We have cancelled the NOC and layout plan of the NPF scheme as it has sold more plots than the land it has,” said Capital Development Authority (CDA) Director General Planning Sarwar Sandhu while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, sources in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said the bureau has also started investigation into ‘illegal sale’ of plots in NPF housing scheme. The foundation was accused of selling files of about 150 plots each worth Rs15 million illegally to the innocent people, sources in the two organisations said. The CDA had approved the layout plan of the housing scheme in August 2004. According to the plan the scheme was to be developed on 1,325 kanals in E-11, whereas the NPF had acquired 975 kanals, the NAB observed. The foundation sold files of all plots, which were to be demarcated according to the approved plan.
The CDA official said the housing scheme was still short of 247 kanals and due to non-availability of land near the scheme, the NPF seems to be helpless in acquiring the required land hanging the fate of about 150 plot holders in balance. The foundation had sold plots illegally (only in files but not on the ground) to some senior security officials and some of them had moved the court against the foundation for seeking justice.
Some of the landholders in E11 including Ch Riaz, Malik Ayub and Salahuddin accused the foundation of grabbing their land and selling it to the innocent buyers. Besides individuals, the NPF has also occupied the land of Services Cooperatives Housing Society, another housing scheme in the area, sources in the NAB said. The sources said the CDA had been facing problem in developing sector F-12 as the land in E-11 which was to be given to the landholders of F-12, had also been encroached by the NPF.
At the time of acquiring land in F-12, the CDA had promised that the landholders would be given alternative plots in E-11. But when the CDA failed to fulfil its promise, the landholders refused to vacate the land in favour of the CDA. The NFP is one of the costliest private housing schemes in Islamabad as the price of 500 sq yard plot there ranges between Rs15 million and Rs20 million. It has been learnt that the allottees, including serving and retired bureaucrats and top police officials, in NPF housing scheme are worried about the future of the scheme.
Those who want to construct their houses there have been barred from doing it because after cancellation of NOC of the housing scheme, its management has become ineligible to approve any site plan for the scheme.
