ISLAMABAD Cabinet Division while taking note of the allotment of 14 acres of lucrative land on lease along Park Road without fulfilling the defined procedure in this regard has sought record of the land from the Capital Development Authority within two days. Few days ago CDA had leased out land measuring 14 acres and consisting of eight nurseries measuring 14 kanals each on a lease of 30-year at a throwaway price by violating the defined rules. The astonishing thing is that out of these eight nurseries, five belong to a single person, who, according to sources, is a front man of a member of dubious Islamabad Development Committee. The 30-year lease amount unanimously decided by the concerned officials of the Authority, without giving advertisement in the newspapers and holding any open bidding for the purpose as well, for the whole 14 acres of land is just Rs21.2 million. The Finance Directorate of the Authority also surprisingly suggested the price of this lucrative land at throwaway price of Rs189,255 per kanal. Few days ago while talking to The Nation Director General Environment, Dr Sheikh Suleman, said such land can only be given after competent bidding of the land and then the lessee holds the ownership rights of the land till that period. Director, Estate Management II, Waqar Ali Khan while talking to The Nation said that the owner/s of these eight nurseries had been running their business at Park Road since 1960 and that they had been given land on lease of 30-year following the recommendations of a three member committee comprising Member Engineering, Member Finance and Member Environment, and after the approval of CDA Board, on conditions that they could not change their trade and the lease period is not extendable. However, he said it was a lease extension case thats why no open bidding for lease was held. But at the same time giving another reason for not conducting an open auction of the land prior to lease it out, he said, the Authority would have to provide relaxations to the lessee as well as there was possibility of the misuse of land if we leased out the land through open auction.