Senate Committee chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood calls for a performance report from all subsidiaries of Secretary of Housing & Works

ISLAMABAD, Sep 10(SABAH): A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was convened on Tuesday under the Chairmanship of Senator Nasir Mehmood at the Parliament House. The meeting was attended by Senators Bilal Ahmed Khan, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Niazi, Saifullah Abro, Khalida Ateeb and Senator Husna Bano.

At the outset, the Committee expressed concerns about the tardy submission of reports to its Members. Chairman Committee questioned why working papers were not provided to the Committee members 48 hours in advance, as stipulated by regulations. Additionally, the absence of the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was noted.

The committee rigorously reviewed the Islamabad police’s illegal occupation of G-6/1 flats. The Chairman inquired about the police’s reasons for occupying government housing, to which the Inspector General (IG) of Police responded that 114 police officers were residing in these flats. The IG stated that there are over 12,000 police personnel, with 314 flats being allotted by the police. The Chairman demanded that the police vacate these illegal residences, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling mandating the end of such occupations. The IG argued that there was no Supreme Court decision specifically addressing this issue and suggested forming a committee to resolve it.

Chairman Mehmood countered that the Supreme Court had ruled on this matter in 2018 and six years had elapsed, with only 114 houses currently disputed.

Both the CDA and Police fall under the Ministry of Interior, and Chairman Mehmood directed the Secretary of Ministry to address the issue within six months. The committee directed the CDA to hold meetings with the Ministry of Interior and state office to find amicable resolution in line with Supreme Court orders. The CDA and Police were also directed to submit monthly progress reports to the Committee Secretary.

On the subject of the Islamabad Central Jail construction, Chairman CDA reported that construction began around a decade back that work resumed a month ago, with completion expected in December 2024. The Chairman also called for a performance report from all subsidiaries of the Secretary of Housing and Works.

Regarding land acquisition and built-up property payments under FGEHA projects, it was reported that a total payments made against land acquisition and build up property under various FGEHA projects was 18,518,382,839 and 4,088,879,567 respectively. It was briefed that in the project of G 14, the DG Housing and Works disclosed that a contractor’s bank guarantee was found to be fraudulent, resulting in 17 PKR crore being paid to a fake contractor, Chairman Mehmood suggested eliminating the role of intermediaries in land transactions. A letter was issued to the FIA to place the contractor, project director, and consultant on a watch list, and the Project Director was suspended and terminated on April 22, 2024. The Sub Engineer was also suspended and issued a show-cause notice. The committee directed the ministry to provide a complete record of related arrangements and correspondence.

Additionally, the committee reviewed the auction expenses for three mixed-use commercial plots in G-13, amounting to PKR 12,229,823. Regarding inquiries into corruption, mismanagement, and delays in FGEHA, PHA, and Pak PWD projects, officials reported no ongoing inquiries against PHAF officials. However, due to design faults by M/s JC CIV Tech, the design consultant for the KuchLak project in Quetta, PKR 8,563,189 was deducted as a penalty. The Quetta PHA project is expected to be completed by December 2025.