Press Release Title: Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works presiding over a Meeting of the Committee at Parliament House Islamabad

Press Release Date: 19th February, 2024

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was held today in Parliament House with Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan in Chair. The meeting began with a discussion about Senate Session Question No. 51, raised by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed during the Senate meeting on December 26, 2023. The Director-General of the Federal Government Employee Housing Authority (FGEHA) apprised the committee that from January 2001 to July 2023, twelve housing/apartment projects have been launched, and an amount of Rs. 56 billion has been collected so far. Officials clarified that allocations had been made to qualified candidates whose names met the criteria of the relevant schemes. However, the Thallian Housing Scheme has been discontinued due to various land-related issues, and those who were allocated plots there will be accommodated in upcoming schemes according to the established criteria. The chairman of the committee sparked an investigation into the significance of allocating plots when the project remains incomplete after 20 years since 2004, raising concerns about its prolonged delay.  Additionally, the chairperson requested information regarding the financial and tangible advantages associated with the allotted plots. Officials from the Ministry of Housing and Works clarified that the delay in the projects stemmed from technical issues. The reasons for the postponement of the two-day auction of class III commercial plots in sector G13-G14 and the fuel station plot in the Mauve Area are the writ petition filed by Quaid e Azam University (QAU), claiming a share in the sale proceeds from the auction of commercial plots in G14/4 and the Mauve Area. The Director-General (FGEHA) explained that they were compliant with the Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and were persistent in expediting the auction before Ramadan, but they were given two options: either to dispose of this case or to give sufficient time to the university. It was reported that G14/1 and G14/2.3 are partially completed with an approved project cost of Rs. 6127.90 million for G14/1 and Rs. 1499.43 million for G14/2.3, while G15/3 is partially completed with 404 plots available for possession, and the approved cost of the project is Rs. 1,453.866 million. They highlighted that the contract for the land in G14-1, which is pending, has encountered significant Build up Property (BoP), resulting in the cancellation of plots. However, they noted that 50 Kanal (1 percent) of G14-1 has been cleared. Furthermore, they emphasized that while G14 has been allotted to the federal government, the G15 residential area has been reserved for the affectees. Additionally, they mentioned that the cost of planning and development has been levied on the affectees. Furthermore, the committee members were provided with the record of Chaklala Heights, including its layout plan and details of consultant hiring and their current status. The Director General of FGEHA expressed that Chaklala is not a lucrative site, and its rates have also risen after COVID-19. The chairman of the committee also inquired about the job quota, deputation rules, and the status of employees in FGEHA. Additionally, he asked about the actions taken against officials involved in violating prescribed job quotas. The secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Works added that this question was raised in the Senate Standing Committee on July 13, 2023. They have investigated the matter, and the officials presented anomalies with recruitment from 2020 to 2023. They indicated a decrease of 40 employees from Punjab, a decrease of 22 employees from Sindh, a deduction of 2 employees from Balochistan, while 9 employees were added in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.   In attendance were Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Senator Fida Muhammad, Senator Khalida Ateeb, Senator Saifullah Abro, Senator Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Works, Director General of Federal Government Employee Housing Authority (FGEHA), and the senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Works.