ISLAMABAD: A reported case of selling CDA`s plot worth millions of rupees by a private housing scheme could be the tip of the iceberg as the civic agency is yet to get possession of its land in a number of such schemes.

As per CDA`s regulations, private housing societies are supposed to transfer land reserved for amenities, including schools, hospitals, greenbelts and parks, in the name of the civic agency before getting the no-objection certificate (NOC) from it.

Sources said the CDA was yet to take over transferred land from many hous-ing schemes and there were chances that the societies may sell out the transferred land as well. However, sources said the situation would be clear once CDA conducts an audit ofallitstransferredland.

One such case surfaced recently when a bona fide purchaser of a hospital plot in Tele Garden Housing Scheme in F-17 approached CDA for approval of its building plan for starting the construction work. However, when the civic agency started the processfor approval of the building plan, it transpired that the plot on which the hospital was to be built actually belonged to the CDA. The housing society had sold the hospital plot to the private individual.

`This is a big injustice with the bona fide purchaser and we fear such other cases may also surface soon,` said an official of CDA. He said the CDA management had taken notice of the matter and also gave a hearing opportunity to the owner.

`The fate of this plot would be decided soon by CDA, but there is need to keepan eye on CDA`s land available in various housing schemes,` the official said.

Sources said to avoid such fraud allotment cases and over-invoicing by housing societies, there was the need for proper implementation of CDA regulations notified last year.

`If these regulations are properly implemented, they could provide protections to citizens as under these societies are bound to get allotment letters of plots vetted from the CDA,` said a deputy director in the civic agency.

The new regulations bar housing societies from doing fraud with the citizens in shape of over-invoicing and making allotment of plots without having land.

`If the allotment letter of the hospital plot in question was vetted by CDA, this allegedfraud couldbe pointed out atthe very initial stage,` the deputy director added.

Like other parts of the country, a large number of citizens in Islamabad have also fallen prey to housing schemes as they were not provided plots despite pay-ing their costs. In many cases, housing and cooperative schemes had eaten up amenities land originally reserved for green areas, mosques and school etc., as wa s pointe d out by the Senate Committee on Law and Justice in its 2016 report.

Meanwhile, the CDA management recently decided to take over amenity plots from private housing societies to avoid their misuse.

Recently, a meeting chaired by Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa directed the planning wing to make an inventory of all amenity plots, which had been transferred to the CDA but their possession was still pending.

The chairman had directed that land transferred to the CDA will be taken over and given under the newly-created Directorate of Estate Management III.

There are 65 approved housing schemes in the capital territory, but several of them have yet to hand over the amenity plots to CDA. In addition, over 100 housing schemes are also operating without authorisation.ing their costs. In many cases, housing and cooperative schemes had eaten up amenities land originally reserved for green areas, mosques and school etc., as wa s pointe d out by the Senate Committee on Law and Justice in its 2016 report.

Meanwhile, the CDA management recently decided to take over amenity plots from private housing societies to avoid their misuse.

Recently, a meeting chaired by Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa directed the planning wing to make an inventory of all amenity plots, which had been transferred to the CDA but their possession was still pending.

The chairman had directed that land transferred to the CDA will be taken over and given under the newly-created Directorate of Estate Management III.

There are 65 approved housing schemes in the capital territory, but several of them have yet to hand over the amenity plots to CDA. In addition, over 100 housing schemes are also operating without authorisation.