ISLAMABAD   -  The internal accountability system of the Capital Development Authority has become questionable as the civic authority has failed to finalize 120 inquiries against its officers and officials.

The confidential section of the administration wing is responsible to conduct and pursue the inquiries initiated on different levels but unfortunately besides passing years many inquiries are still pending against CDA officers— promoting a culture of malpractices in the authority.  

The audit has also pointed out in its recent report that CDA has failed to finalize 120 inquiries against the CDA officers/ officials due to corruption, misplacement of plot files and other charges.

It is pertinent to mention here that Audit noted that Director Security, CDA conducted one hundred twenty (120) Fact Finding Inquiries and complaints against the various wings/ CDA officers/ officials regarding the allotment of plots and other issues but the confidential section fails to conclude formal inquiries on the same pace.

Audit observed that delaying tactics were being adopted to delay in finalization of formal inquiry causing undue favor/ latitude to the involved officers/ officials of the CDA but, also encouraging the other employees to commit such offences/ irregularities in future.

It was argued by the audit that according to the directions of the establishment division, the Inquiry Officer be carefully selected for his competence and capability to hold the inquiry while a time-limit should be prescribed for completion of the inquiry.

However, sources informed that in CDA most of the time, those people are made inquiry officers who never act swiftly and delay the proceedings to favor the accused officers.

As per the Establishment Davison’s directions, until the inquiry is completed, the Inquiry Officer, the accused as well as the witnesses concerned should not be permitted to proceed on leave, training course or on transfer in or outside Pakistan but situation in CDA is entirely different as there is no check in this regard.

Furthermore, sources informed that interestingly in some cases accused and inquiry officers are doing inquiries against each other while in several cases the close friends of the accused officers are appointed as inquiry officers.

Several officers involved in different inquiries are holding high positions besides departmental proceedings against them. The issue of the delay in the probe also raises a major question mark on the efficiency of the anti-corruption mechanism of the civic agency, which is imperative for good governance and building deterrence against such practices. There is a need to expedite the ongoing inquiries so that action could be taken against the guilty officials as without strict measures, the governance at the civic body could not be improved.  

Sources informed that inquiries related to various directorates — the estate wing, land, engineering, environment, planning, and building control among others — have been pending, with the land directorate and the estate wing atop the list.

These departments deal with residential and commercial plots. Likewise, there are a number of inquiries regarding the allotment of plots on the basis of “bogus documents”, causing loss to the national exchequer.