05 October 2004	Tuesday	19 Shaban 1425

ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: The Senate Standing Committee on Works, Environment and Urban Affairs has taken strong exception to the reports that 439 government flats, quarters and houses in Islamabad are still illegally occupied.

The committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Dr Mohammad Ali Brohi here on Monday, also took notice of the reports that 184 government residences had been illegally occupied by personnel of Islamabad police. The Ministry of Housing and Works was directed to take measures for evicting the unauthorized occupants to provide accommodation to government employees.

The committee also took notice of the absence of secretary interior and inspector general of police, Islamabad, who were invited to attend the meeting with a view to ensuring implementation of the committee's orders regarding vacation of government accommodation from police officials.

The committee stressed the need for greater cooperation between the Estate Office and the Islamabad police authorities to ensure eviction of the illegal occupants.

The committee was told that the Ministry of Housing and Works was trying its best to seek the help of the Ministry of Interior and Islamabad Police. It was, however, pointed out that the ministry was not receiving the cooperation, and that an FIR had been registered against an officer of Estate Office who tried to get the government accommodation vacated.

The police were directed to withdraw the FIR registered against the estate officer, and to suspend the ASI concerned. The Ministry of Housing and Works was also told to submit to the committee a complete list of illegal occupants.

The committee was also briefed on the development work being carried out by the PWD on the schemes sponsored by parliamentarians in Sindh under Tameer-i-Pakistan Programme. It was decided to constitute a sub-committee to examine the quality of work.

There was a consensus that a number of bottlenecks existed in the execution of the schemes submitted by the parliamentarians. The committee issued directives that the secretaries of planning, finance, local government and rural development, and other officials concerned, should be summoned in the next meeting to find out ways to remove these bottlenecks to ensure early implementation of the development schemes.

The committee was informed that only 59 development schemes had been initiated by senators during 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, out of which 26 had been undertaken, whereas 19 were approved recently.

The meeting asked the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to inform the parliamentarians about the cut off date for submission of their schemes so as to avoid the lapse of funds and keep them abreast of the progress on their schemes.

The members of the committee complained of lack of facilities in the Parliamentary Lodges. CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari, informed the members that renovation work would be carried out and facilities made available very soon.

The meeting was also attended by Minister for Housing and works Syed Safwanullah, senators Ayaz Khan Mandokhail, Shereen Noor, Bibi Yasmeen Shah, Mumtaz Bibi, Maulana Rahat Hussain, Syed Mohammad Hussain and Farooq Hamid Naek.