November 11, 2002	Monday	Ramazan 5, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: Wapda has asked the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) to pay infrastructure charges for providing connections to the residents of G-6 sector after its re- development, sources in the housing ministry told Dawn.

The sources said Wapda had demanded millions of rupees from the PHA for providing connection to G-6 sector. On the other hand, the PHA was of the view that Wapda was not installing new connections in G-6 sector, therefore it should not charge infrastructure charges.

“It is a clear-cut decision of the federal cabinet that Wapda could not demand infrastructure charges in case of provision of power supply within the urban limits because such infrastructure already existed in the urban areas,” a PHA official said.

However, Wapda was still asking for infrastructure charges from the PHA, he added.

“We have sent a copy of the cabinet’s decision to Wapda to reinform it that it could not demand such charges,” he said.

The official pledged that the PHA would not pay infrastructure charges to Wapda at any cost and this matter could be sent to the Chief Executive Secretariat, if Wapda did not withdraw its demand.

Responding to a question, he said the residents of G-6 sector would have to pay meter-installation charges to Wapda for providing new connections and meters to their flats that would be constructed under the re-development plan.

He said the work of laying sewage lines had been started and the sector would be handed over to the organizations concerned for its re-development in the next calender year.

The re-development plan of G-6 sector, being carried out under a joint venture with a private sector, would cost Rs5 billion approximately.

The plan was prepared to provide better accommodation facilities to the government employees as some 4,000 houses occupied by them were in dilapidated condition.

According to the plan, the existing houses in the sector would be demolished and a multi-storied building constructed for providing flats to the residents.

The PHA official said residents would have to pay price of flats under the market rate.

The re-development plan of G-6 sector had been made by a joint committee of the PHA and the CDA on a longstanding demand of the inhabitants of the sector.

Government employees had requested many previous governments to re-develop the sector or give ownership rights to them so that they could themselves renovate these houses.

The plan had been approved by the cabinet as thousands of government employees were living in miserable conditions in their dilapidated houses for over 20 years.