CDA clamps down on illegal allotment of plots

CDA clamps down on illegal allotment of plots via power of attorney and sale agreements -- Replacement plots for Islamabad affectees to be issued solely to original owners; nexus between fraudsters and influential mafia exposed ISLAMABAD: In a major policy shift, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has imposed an immediate and complete ban on the direct allotment of rehabilitation plots and agro farms based on General Power of Attorney (GPA), Agreements to Sell, or private contracts. Under the new directives, initial allotments will no longer be issued directly in the names of attorney holders or buyers. The decision was formalized through a stringent policy directive (Notification No. 7708) issued by the office of Member (Estate) CDA, Muhammad Zaman Wattoo. The notification explicitly states that the ban applies with immediate effect to all pending cases as well as future allotments, while cases referred by judicial courts remain exempt. In its policy document, the CDA cited several landmark rulings from the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Islamabad High Court. Referencing the apex court's ruling in Rashida Begum v. Muhammad Yousaf (2002 SCMR 1089), the authority highlighted that an agreement to sell does not, in itself, create any legal title or ownership rights over an immovable property. Similarly, citing an Islamabad High Court verdict (RFA No. 113/2018), the directive emphasized that prior to the formal demarcation or allotment of a plot by the CDA, prospective rights cannot be transferred through a Power of Attorney or private agreement. The policy shift follows an internal investigation initiated by Member Estate Muhammad Zaman Wattoo, which uncovered a massive scam involving forgery and internal collusion. According to the inquiry findings, corrupt CDA officials had colluded with a network of GPA holders and active middlemen to deprive genuine land affectees of their rightful claims. In one particularly alarming instance, a single GPA holder was allotted 22 plots, despite the fact that the original affectees had already been compensated in the 1970s with over 150 kanals of land in Vehari district. Investigations revealed that files and balloting for fraudsters and middlemen were expedited on priority, while legitimate affectees faced deliberate delays for years, forcing many to sell their claims to these middlemen at throwaway prices out of desperation. The directive further noted that under Regulation 12 of the Islamabad Land Disposal Regulations 2005, the direct allotment of agro farms based on a General Power of Attorney is strictly illegal. To ensure complete transparency and eradicate fraudulent and double allotments, copies of the notification have been dispatched for immediate compliance to the Director General (Land & Revenue), Deputy Commissioner CDA, Director General (Law), and Staff Director to the Chairman CDA.