LAHORE; After a hiatus of a few months, Rawalpindi Ring Road (RRR) scam is back again. This time the investigation report of Anti Corruption Department , Punjab has brought the biting scandal of land procurement and repeated changes in the project to provide undue financial benefit to the housing societies that fall in the nearby area of the project.
RRR project scam had hit the market some four months back, putting a big question mark on the credibility of the concerned departments like Commissioner Office, Rawalpindi, Assistant Commissioners Offices of Attock, Chakwal and Rawalpindi districts.
The initial inquiry report had identified many characters of the scam like former Commissioner Rawalpindi, Mohammad Mahmood Ahmad, former Director Land Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Wasim Tabish.
The initial investigation also pin pointed role of some political personalities, but stopped short of naming them. However, the report clearly mentioned name of Col (R) Mahsood Ahmad , brother of former Commissioner Rawalpindi and main accused in the case.
Col (R) Mahsood Ahmad was mainly doing the role of wheeling-dealing with property mafia on behalf of his brother, former Commissioner Rawalpindi.
According to a market survey conducted by NEWSMAN , RRR project was used by corrupt mafia of bueaurocrats and property tycoons to use state resources to grab around Rs 100 billion rupee. This amount went into the pockets of corrupt mafia of bueaurocrats like Mahmood Ahmad and Wasim Tabish and others, but the property mafia which had direct and indirect link with some politicians who are having key positions in Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government made hundreds of billions by creating hype in the market to jack up the land rates in the areas to which illegal diversions were made to benefit housing socities.
The property mafia was given benefit of over Rs 100 bilion in just one year.
At least one senior bueaurocrat known for close links with Sharifs is also among the beneficiaries of RRR project scam.
The former Commissioner Rawalpindi, Mahmood Ahmad and Land Director, Wasim Tabish, flouted the law and misused official authority to make illegal money and provided every possible opportunity to property mafia to make money as much as it wanted by fleecing the buyers.
The findings of Anti Corruption Department were shared by its chief, Gohar Hussain, with the media here on Wednesday.
The inquiry of Anti Corruption Department Punjab endorsed every point of the initial report and held former Commissioner Mahmood Ahmad and Director Land RDA, Wasim Tabish, responsible of using corrupt practices for their personal benefit that caused loss of Rs 10 billion to the national kitty.
Both Mahmood Ahmad and Wasim Tabish have been arrested and more arrests are likely.
The Anti Corruption has highlighted wrongdoings of the bueaurocrats in RRR project, but it did not mention the names of politicans for reasons better known to its authorities.
The Anti Corruption Department Punjab has left this job for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).