PM Takes Notice of HEC Land Grabbed for Margalla Enclave
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday took notice of the Capital Development Authority’s decision to include 250 acres bought for two public-sector universities in its Margalla Enclave housing scheme, and sought an immediate report from the CDA.
The Prime Minister’s Office wrote to the CDA, and officials prepared the report the same day, after media coverage brought the dispute into the open.
Land bought for universities, used for housing
In 2008, the Higher Education Commission paid Rs1.3 billion to acquire 250 acres from the CDA in the Kuri area for establishing two public-sector universities. A couple of years ago, the CDA included that land in Margalla Enclave, a housing scheme jointly developed with the Defence Housing Authority and spread over about 18,000 kanals.
As an alternative, the CDA offered 40 acres in Sector I-17 — 25 acres for the engineering university and 15 for the law university — instead of the original 250 acres, and demanded additional payment. HEC officials rejected the offer at a meeting at the interior ministry.
The matter was to come before the CDA board on Monday but was not discussed because of a shortage of time.
A telling disparity
The dispute has drawn attention to how the CDA treats different allottees. The authority had allocated 28 acres in Kuri for the Supreme Court but earmarked 50 acres for it in Sector I-17 — a more generous swap than the one offered to the HEC.
Margalla Enclave is jointly developed by the CDA and the Defence Housing Authority as a housing scheme spread over about 18,000 kanals. Meanwhile, the university campuses for which the Kuri land was originally acquired remain unbuilt, and the institutions exist only on paper. The institutions at stake are an engineering university and a law university — the HEC’s Rs1.3 billion payment in 2008 was meant to secure permanent campuses for them, but 18 years on, the land has been folded into a housing scheme developed with the DHA.
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Frequently asked questions
What did the PM do about the HEC land?
PM Shehbaz Sharif took notice on Tuesday and sought an immediate report from the CDA after media coverage of the dispute.
How much land is involved?
The HEC paid Rs1.3 billion for 250 acres in Kuri in 2008. The CDA later folded it into the 18,000-kanal Margalla Enclave and offered 40 acres in Sector I-17 instead.
Why did the HEC reject the alternative?
The replacement is a fraction of the original land, and the CDA also demanded additional payment — terms HEC officials rejected at the interior ministry meeting.
What did the CDA board decide?
The matter was on the agenda for Monday’s CDA board meeting but was not discussed because of a shortage of time. The prime minister sought his report the next day after the dispute was highlighted in the media.
