ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) closed their three-day scrutiny of the wrongs done by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) seven years ago on Thursday by pursuing more the grievances of the parliamentarians than of the common man.

They appeared to be most agitated over the CDA being keen to recover outstanding dues from the parliamentarians for their stay in the Parliament Lodges by publicising their names but oblivious to the fraud played on the parliamentarians by private housing schemes under its nose.

The committee was examining Audit Report related to CDA for the year 1999-2000.

The PAC headed by Sardar Ashiq Hussain Gopang, MNA, expressed dissatisfaction over publishing of parliamentarians name in the newspapers against whom the CDA issued notices for recovery of outstanding dues of Parliament Lodges. “It is unfair to get published the name of Ajmal Khattak just for the recovery of Rs72,” a member of the committee Qurban Ali Shah said.

He said Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Mr Ajmal Khattak was an upright man but his name was published as a “big defaulter”.

The PAC chairman said usually the CDA did not inform the parliamentarians in time about their outstanding dues of parliament lodges and when the parliament dissolved and the parliamentarians returned back to their hometowns, the CDA declared them defaulters and issued notice to them.

“Please let us inform that whether we have to pay any outstanding rent and other charges of the lodges as Election Commission of Pakistan will not allow us to contest the polls,” the PAC chief said.

The other issues in which members of the PAC took keen interest was related to the loss of money invested by the parliamentarians in fake housing schemes in Islamabad.

MNA Qurban Ali Shah said the management of three private housing schemes—Parliamentarians Enclave, National Assembly Housing Society, and Senate Housing Society— had looted a large number of parliamentarians who purchased plots from them during last couple of years.

“Now, it has been revealed that the management of these schemes have sold over 100 per cent more plots than the land they possess,” he said.

The MNA questioned the role of CDA that why the authority had not stopped them from selling fake plots. “If parliamentarians are made fool in that manner then what to talk about the common man,” he said.

MNA Kanwar Khalid Younus said a former senator had sold over 10,000 plots in its housing scheme Parliament Enclave despite the fact that he had only 400 kanals of land which can only accommodate only 400 to 500 plot holders.

Later, PAC expressed its displeasure over the failure of the CDA to implement the directives of the sub-committee of the ad hoc PAC issued in 2002.

The committee also took notice of the failure of the CDA to implement the directives of Departmental Accounting Committee (DAC) held on August 22, 2007.

About an audit para related to decorative ceiling and other art work in the National Assembly, the PAC was informed that the case was with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari told the meeting that audit had objected to awarding of single tender without fulfilling codal formalities. It also pointed out that in PC-I of the project there was no provision for this work.

The PAC called for formation of a fact finding committee on para about blockade of funds worth Rs629.593 million following CDA failure to utilise fund received for execution of various works.