ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee has directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to withdraw its notification linking new utility connections with no-objection certificates (NOC), a move originally geared towards discouraging unauthorised construction.

A few years ago, the authority had made it mandatory for the Islamabad Electric Supply Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines to only issue new connections when a building had received an NOC from the CDA. NOCs deal with the approval of building plans and so on.

But Islamabad’s rural population of around 1 million has faced difficulties following the ban on utility connections without NOCs, as the CDA does not have a mechanism or system in place to approve building plans in rural areas through which people can get connections under the new rules.

FIA DG gives NA standing committee briefing on benami accounts case

On Friday, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior asked the CDA to withdraw its notification to give relief to rural residents.

“Because of you, today, people who built houses on their inherited land in rural areas are facing difficulty as Iesco, based on your letter, is not providing them with new connections,” committee chair MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, said.

His views were echoed by MNA Agha Rafiullah, who said local residents have been living here since before the capital was built and asked the CDA to lift the ban on utility connections, at the very least for those living in rural areas.

Mr Nawaz said the committee supports the ban in illegal housing societies and on construction on state land, but there should be some leniency for locals.

CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed said the authority was supposed to regulate buildings across the capital but instead focused solely on the sectors, resulting in the proliferation of unauthorised buildings all over the city.

He said there were no by-laws in place to regulate buildings in rural areas, adding: “We have now framed new regulations. Give us some time to deal with this issue, as the matter is already in court as well, but we will consider the committee’s recommendations.”

Mr Ahmed, who is also the chief commissioner of Islamabad, gave a detailed briefing on the working of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and the CDA. He said the ICT’s excise and taxation office collects more than Rs4 billion every year, which goes directly to the exchequer.

He said the ICT has asked that the government allow for at least Rs2bn from these funds to be used for the development of the capital.

CDA Member Estate Khushal Khan also briefed the committee on the workforce and functions of the authority.

Committee members said that instead of focusing on increasing its receipts, the CDA has been running its affairs by selling land.

This was also endorsed by the CDA chairman, who said the authority is mulling other options to increase receipts.

Benami bank accounts

During a briefing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Bashir Memon told MNAs that the joint investigation team (JIT) formed on the orders from the Supreme Court has analysed banking transaction records of 11,500 bank accounts.

He said the JIT has unearthed a Rs42.37 billion money laundering case through fake bank accounts.

Sharing the details of benami accounts, he said 59 suspicious transactions and 24,500 currency transaction reports of 924 account holders from the financial monitoring unit were unearthed.

He said the JIT established 32 fake bank accounts.

He added that the accounts and the account holders are being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after the SC ordered this January that the FIA transfer all its material and evidence to NAB.

In response to a question, he said the FIA has arrested two people in this case – Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai and Taha Raza.

When Mr Rafiullah asked Mr Memon for details of other suspects in the fake accounts case, the FIA official said he would share the status of the case in camera, as a public statement could impact the investigation.

Mr Memon also briefed the committee on FIA’s manpower, saying it is facing a shortage but recently inducted 1,000 new people who will join the agency after completing their training.

MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb said there was a dearth of specialised personnel and structural reforms are needed in the FIA as well as the hiring of qualified and professional officers. She said the pay scale and ranks of FIA officials should be enhanced.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2019