October 22, 2003	Wednesday	Sha’aban 25, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: A ruling party MNA on Tuesday staged a token walkout in the National Assembly when he was not allowed to speak further on his calling attention notice moved to highlight cooperative housing societies scam.

Sardar Bahadur Ahmed Khan Sihar, a PML-Q member from Layyah, left the House, saying the Speaker, Chaudhry Ameer Hussain, was ignoring him and not allowing to express his views on, what he called, a very important issue.

He was also of the view that the speaker had abruptly closed the discussion on the notice and had moved on to next agenda item of the day. However, his colleagues convinced him to resume the proceedings immediately.

The MNA, through his calling attention notice, wanted to invite the attention of the House towards violation of laws by the administrations of cooperative housing societies, depriving the people of their life-long savings. He said as a result of housing societies scam, the hard-earned savings of poor people had been stuck up to the tune of Rs10 billion.

These private housing schemes have mushroomed because of the inability of the public sector to develop new areas to reduce housing problems being faced by the people, he said.

He alleged that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had failed to develop sectors like D-12, I-14 and I-16, creating serious housing problems even in the capital. He was also bitter over the fact as to why these cooperatives housing schemes were allowed to fleece the people even when they were not meeting the required environmental standards.

The parliamentary secretary for interior, Sanaullah Mastikhel, while replying to the calling attention notice, assured the House that steps would be taken to save the amounts deposited by the people with the private housing societies.

He said in 1992, the Capital Development Authority had allocated separated 10,000 acres and 40,000 acres for different cooperatives housing schemes, but, then, sealed the offices of five societies when the scam surfaced.

He said relevant laws relating to the cooperative housing societies would be implemented at all costs.