ISLAMABAD: A Senate standing committee was on Friday informed that after constructing buildings in the national park area at Pir Sohawa, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) handed them over to a private firm for running the Monal Restaurant against a nominal monthly rent.

The committee on Capital administration and Development Division (CADD) met with Senator Dr Ashok Kumar in the chair to discuss the issue of land lease to the restaurant by the CDA.

The committee chairman and members said the operator of Monal had also encroached upon CDA land but the civic agency did not take action against him.

Senate body told that private company running Monal Restaurant at nominal monthly rent

Director District Municipal Administration (DMA) Zafar Iqbal said after formation of the local government the project was devolved to the Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) from the CDA.

He said in 2005 the CDA had leased out 47,000 square-feet with a covered area of 12,900 feet. He briefed the committee that in 2005-06 the CDA leased out the building structure and land to the private firm after a bidding process.

“The CDA had leased out the area against an annual rent of Rs3.12 million with a 10pc annual increase,” he said.

When the committee members asked why action was not taken against the firm for encroaching on the state land, the official said he would look into the matter.

Senator Saadia Abbasi said it was very easy to determine the volume of encroachment through Google image.

She pleaded that Google image of 2006-08 and that of the current year should be checked.

The committee chairman said one cannot get a small kiosk in a well-established market in Islamabad against a Rs260,000 monthly rent but the CDA had leased out its buildings with 47,000 square-feet area against such a low rate on a 15-year lease.

The director DMA said the area was given after adopting a bidding process and the project was also cleared from the FIA and courts.

At this, the committee sought details of the lease agreement with Monal Restaurant, the amount of tax collected, number and details of bidders, amount of rent and law regarding constructing a restaurant and continuously expanding it in an area declared as a national park.

Earlier, the director said process for auction of the building in Pir Sohawa was initiated in 2005 and out of eight bidders the land and buildings were given on a lease for 15 years to the company with the highest bid with the agreement to end in 2021.

The committee chairman, however, observed that in order to believe that the bidder came with the best price the details of all the bids should be submitted.

The director said the lease agreement was going to end in 2021 and the DMA on the direction of Public Accounts Committee had already decided not to extend the lease period. “We will go for a fresh bidding,” he said.

The committee also discussed construction of high-rise flats on an area designated for a park near Kurri Road by the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA).

The CDA member planning told the meeting that on receiving complaints about the construction the civic agency had rejected PHA’s request for an NOC against their layout plan and served them notices that their construction was illegal. The committee directed the CDA to take practical steps to get the ongoing construction activities halted.

Water shortage in Islamabad

The committee also discussed the shortage of water in different areas of Islamabad and was shocked to know that the capital had water reserves for just 10 or 15 days if there are no rains in the next few days.

CDA officials told the committee that underground water sources had depleted and both Khanpur and Simly dams were not sufficient to meet the requirements of the city.

CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kayani told the committee that in both the dams water level had decreased to near the dead level.

Sources in the CDA said the dead level in the Simly Dam was 2,233 feet and the current level of water in the dam was 2,250 feet while the dead level in Khanpur Dam was 1,910 feet and at present the water level was at 1,923 feet there.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2018