ISLAMABAD - Public Accounts Committee has taken notice of a story published in TheNation regarding lease of the lucrative land measuring more than 15 acres and consisting of eight nurseries on a lease of 30-year at a throwaway price. Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Imtiaz Enayat Elahi will present the case in front of the PAC today (Tuesday). However, a meeting held in this regard on Monday in CDA headquarters, in which Member Finance, Member Estate and newly appointed Member Environment along with Director, Estate Management II, Waqar Ali Khan participated. It was unanimously decided that Authority would try to convince the PAC that the case was an 'extension of lease agreement aand not a new lease agreement So following this lease extension agreement, the Authority was not needed to go for an open auction of the land and to fulfil other legalities. However, it is a matter of fact that all the three owners of these eight nurseries, prior to this lease agreement, were running these nurseries on yearly basis and were paying Rs6,000 per annum to the Authority for the past six years. Another fact that needs to be considered is that already the same case was presented in CDA Board three times but the Board rejected it, however, in April 2010 the case was presented in Board and it was approved following the recommendation of a three-member committee comprising Member Engineering, Member Finance and former Member Environment. Another irregularity that was committed on the part of Finance Directorate of the Authority was the cost assessment of land on lucrative Park Road area. The Finance Directorate surprisingly suggested the price of this lucrative land at throwaway price of Rs189,255 per kanal that is unjust. Following the recommendation of Finance Directorate, more than 15 acres of land was given against Rs21.2 million on 30-year lease. Earlier, the Cabinet Division had also taken notice of the issue and had sought land record along with the lease agreement from the Authority. It is pertinent to note here that CDA had leased out land measuring more than 15 acres and consisting of eight nurseries on a lease of 30-year at a throwaway price by violating defined rules. Few days ago while talking to TheNation 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 these 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 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.