Illegal NOCs granted to Top City, Capital Smart City on motorway, says audit

ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has revealed that illegal access was granted to housing societies on motorways and that the processing of NOCs for constructing interchanges was carried out without justification.

According to the audit report, the General Manager M-2 (BOT) of the National Highway Authority in Kalar Kahar processed the case for the construction of interchanges for Top City and Capital Smart City on the request of housing societies.

It was also observed that Eighteen Housing Society and Capital Smart City were given illegal access from the M-2.

The audit stated that protective fencing had been installed on both sides of the motorway to safeguard citizens from accidents, but despite this, illegal access points were provided, which goes against the very purpose of the motorway.

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The report said that NOCs for interchange construction were issued without any benefit to the NHA and in violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The audit termed the move unjustified and illegal.

The audit also stated that these illegal actions had been pointed out in December 2022, but the authority did not respond, nor was a Departmental Accounts Committee meeting convened on January 10, 2023.

The audit has recommended that action be taken against the responsible officers and corrective measures should be taken.

Earlier, the AGP detected major irregularities in the sale and transfer of Walton Airport land in Lahore to the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA).

According to the AGP report, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) exceeded federal cabinet approval and transferred an additional 23.8 acres of land to the PCBDDA.

“The cabinet had approved the transfer of 52 acres in 2021; however, the CAA transferred 76 acres instead. The additional land was commercial in nature and was subsequently sold by the PCBDDA for over Rs57 billion,” the report revealed.

The audit noted that possession of the land was handed over in January 2022, while a formal agreement between the two sides was signed a year later, in 2023.