TI asks DHA to be transparent,

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ISLAMABAD: The Transparency International (TI) has asked the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to justify the delay in allotment of plots in DHA Islamabad Phase-II Extension, and also to implement the Public Procurement Rules, 2004, which the DHA is bound to implement.

Syed Adil Gilani, Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) chairman, has asked the DHA that there were complaints that allottees were not being allotted plots in the DHA Phase-II Extension in violation of the PPRA rules; therefore, the DHA must clarify its position as according to a recent Supreme Court judgment, implementation of PPRA rules was mandatory for every department.

A letter written by TIP to the DHA Islamabad says around five years back, in Feb/March 2005, files of DHAI Phase-2-Ext were sold to the general public through a marketing agency ‘JIN’ in the lump sum price range of Rs 3.600 million to Rs 4.100 million per 500 sq ft plot. This adopted strategy was first time ‘experienced’ by any DHA in the history of Pakistan, and a margin of around Rs 400,000-600,000 per plot was fetched. Very after this sale, an ‘Overseas Sector’ was advertised/sold at the foreign exchange price equivalent to Rs 4.200 million, even in instalments. After it, plots to servicemen were sold, and then Commoners Town was merged in DHA1. Now another process of awarding highly discounted plots to the favourites is underway. All this process has severely affected the market price of the general public plots/files, on top of the general real estate slump experienced in the country. It seems that the planners got involved in ‘inside-trading’ and minted money to the tune of crores in just one go.

The DHAI has even forced the allottees of Phase-2/Ext to start depositing the development charges without knowing the physical location of their plots. By this time, DHAI has collected three such instalments. The DHAI has further added the time dependent price escalation in the development charges without any fault of delay on part of allottees; besides the fact that DHAI has earned millions and billions in terms of interest/profit in last around five years on investing the land price fetched against files of DHA Ph-2/Ext.

It is highly regrettable that even now all announced developments in the Phase-2/Ext pertain to Overseas Sector or Servicemen phases or built houses, and nobody seems to bother about the general public’s already highly discounted investment. Not even ‘part-plan’ of the phase, which was scheduled in December ‘2005, has been announced on one pretext or the other despite repeated promises.

The DHAI has made 8th unfulfilled promise of releasing the location map so far. No satisfactory reasons for adopting this strategy and putting on the backburner the general public’s hope for plots has ever been cared to be forwarded to the poor civilians, which is highly discriminating. The only answer is, ‘This is DHAI’s policy’. Kindly examine the allegations, and if they are correct, address the issues raised therein so that public may get justice. Following PPRA Ordinance Articles are quoted again for the DHAI information as award of Contract of Marketing Agency to M/s JIN Associates should be under the PPRA Rules.

In view of the above quoted statuary requirements, all DHAs are authorities established under federal law by the federal government, and all board members of DHA Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi are holder of public office, and, accountable under laws of Pakistan, and PPRA Ordinance 2002 is applicable on all DHAs.

The TI Pakistan is striving to have Rule of Law in Pakistan, and expects DHA Islamabad, a statuary body under the Ministry of Defence, formed under DHA Islamabad Ordinance 2009, on which it has been made mandatory to follow government rules while awarding contracts.