15 February 2005	Tuesday	05 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: The combined opposition in the Senate on Monday urged Deputy Chairman Khalilur Rehman to take up the issue of Defence Housing Authority Islamabad (DHAI) on the last day of the current session of the upper house on Tuesday.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar on a point of order asked the deputy chairman to take up the issue for debate as to how the status of "authority" had been given to the Defence Housing Scheme Islamabad (DHSI). Mr Babar was of the view that it was not the matter of land in Islamabad, but an issue of national assets.

The opposition senators on Thursday had filed an adjournment motion in the house against the recent decision of the cabinet to convert the Defence Housing Scheme Islamabad (DHSI) into a fully-fledged "authority" in the outskirts of the capital.

The motion was signed and submitted to the Senate secretariat by Farhatullah Babar, Raza Rabbani and Rukhsana Zuberi of the PPP, Prof Khurshid Ahmad of the MMA, Sadia Abbasi and Sardar Mehtab Khan of the PML-N, Asfandyar Wali of the ANP, Sanaullah Baloch of BNP and Hammedullah Jan Afridi.

The PPP senator said the defence establishment was being converted into commercial and real estate enterprises. When contacted, the DHAI administrator, Brigadier Zahid Waheed Butt, said converting the housing scheme into an authority was imperative to provide better services to the 50,000 members.

He said the DHAI had so far acquired over 1,000,000 kanals and total number of its members would go up to 50,000 to 60,000. Referring to an objection raised by the opposition in the Senate, he said as most of the members/residents in the scheme belonged to all three forces; therefore, the scheme was attributed to the defence.

He said the DHAI had purchased land at a cost of Rs12 billion and that money was paid to the land holders. "The DHAI is the only housing scheme in the capital which has thrown Rs12 billion into the market," he added.

"The land we have purchased for providing homes both for the personnel of armed forces and civilians produces nothing, but we have made it worth living," he said.

He said the DHAI has been spending Rs2 billion on relaying of sewage lines and turning the electric system from overhead to under ground. "It usually does not happen in any other housing scheme that such an ample amount is spent on the already developed areas," he said.

He said the authority would not make its own laws as it would follow the laws of the CDA to ensure uniformity in housing projects. He said personnel of Navy and Air Force had been given 10 per cent quota each in the DHAI.

He said the DHAI was answerable to the defence ministry to ensure accountability and the CDA chairman was one of the members of the authority's board. To another question, the official said the cabinet had not specified the territorial limits of the authority as a result it could expand towards any side in Islamabad.