Taking notice of irregularities in leasing out of land by Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to its employees’ Cooperative Housing Society, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Ports and Shipping Monday asked the KPT to provide a list of the people who had been allocated the plots in the scheme.
The committee, which met with Rana Mehmoodul Hassan MNA in the chair, was told by Auditor General Office that land worth billions of rupees was leased out by the KPT at 10 paisa per square yard and the federal audit authorities had unearthed a mega financial scandal which had caused Rs 25 billion loss to the State. The KPT had leased out 331 acres of its precious land in three different phases in 1989, 1992 and 1996 for peanuts. The issue had also been taken up by the Public Accounts Committee.
Rana Mehmoodul Hassan said it was one of the most expensive pieces of land in the country which, if auctioned, could bring trillions of rupees to the national exchequer and leasing it out for mere 10 paisa per yard was a crime. His recommendation of cancellation of all KPT lease agreements was met by severe opposition from the PPP members of the committee, Fauzia Wahab, Nazir Ahmed Bhughio and Nuaman Aslam Shaikh.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of PKT Nasreen Haq said that the matter was subjudice as there was dispute between the KPT and the Sindh Government. She also told the committee that Sindh government had claimed the ownership of the land but it was property of the federal government. She also added that the land was leased out to the cooperative housing society of the KPT employees as was the practice in other government departments, adding that the society has 600 plots. Sardar Mansab Ali Doggar MNA said that all departments, including DHA, were operating in violation of rules and parliament, if it could be courageous, could take notice of the housing societies.
Rana Mehmoodul Hassan said that the plots had been allocated to people on the basis of nepotism. While talking to media after the meeting, the chairperson of the KPT said that the land was under water and the society had developed it after investing millions of rupees.
The case had surfaced when audit report 2010-11 on the accounts of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping for the financial year 2009-10 was submitted to the PAC.
