ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: The Cabinet Division and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) are in a tug of war over managing the day to day affairs of the authority, Dawn has learnt.

The current interference came at a time when the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf showed his utter dismay over the working of the authority and its failure to provide civic amenities to the citizens.

The prime minister in a routine meeting on July 20 directed the secretary Cabinet Division Nargis Sethi to personally supervise all the affairs of the civic agency and keep the prime minister updated on a regular basis.

“The CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal was also present in the meeting,” insisted the official.

The prime minister also asked the cabinet secretary to coordinate the affairs of katchi abadis and make an immediate plan for its development.

“The CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal later directly submitted a plan to the prime minister on July 24 outlining steps for the revival of a number of civic amenities like water and sanitation,” informed one official close to the developments.

“The chairman CDA Mr Iqbal directly submitted the plan to the principal secretary to the prime minister, Ayub Qazi, which irked a number of officials at the cabinet division,” remarked the official.

The official, however, said the letter of Mr Iqbal was not forwarded to the prime minister since it had to come through the office of the secretary Cabinet Division Nargis Sethi.

Ms Sethi, he said, is the principal accounting officer of the CDA since the authority responds to the government through cabinet division.

“In a twist on July 27 the additional secretary Cabinet Division Shahidullah Baig summoned the members of the authority to give an input over the sanitation and water condition of the city and issued a letter for meeting at the cabinet division on July 25,” said the official.

He said in the meeting at the Cabinet Division the chairman Farkhand Iqbal was not invited.

“Mr Iqbal was at his office but member environment Mian Waheedud Din, director general civic management, director general sanitation and a number of CDA directors were present in the meeting and updated the additional secretary over sanitation and water position of the authority,” the official told Dawn.

A senior CDA official told Dawn that at the same time the CDA chairman also held a number of meetings at his office where they discussed steps to improve provision of civic amenities to the citizens.

He said that the CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal approved an 11-day plan for quick garbage disposal and in this regard worked out a duty chart for the sanitation employees.

“But the Cabinet Division has also approved a sanitation plan for the city besides writing to the chairman to release grants for the sanitation department,” added the CDA official.

He maintained that with two sanitation plans of both the CDA and the Cabinet Division “we are in a fix since we don’t know which orders we are to implement.”

However, rumors are rife that the CDA chairman, Farkhand Iqbal, was to be removed but a local politician from the city used his influence and strong connection with the presidency which led to cancellation of his posting orders.

“It was mainly on presidency’s interference that Mr Iqbal’s posting was delayed for the time being,” insisted the official.

The official said that Mr Iqbal hails from Khyber-Pkahtunkhwa and his association with the ANP has saved him.

Despite multiple attempts the cabinet additional secretary, Shahidullah Baig, and the CDA chairman, Farkhand Iqbal, were not available for comments.