KARACHI, July 11: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah has said that notices regarding increase in rent of government quarters, including Jehangir Quarters, Marston Quarters and Clayton Quarters, have been withdrawn forthwith. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the minister announced that the occupants of these quarters would continue to pay the rent at old rate till a final decision in this regard.
He said the 50-year-old issue was now under active consideration of his ministry and the federal cabinet. A final decision would be taken after considering all legal and administrative aspects of the matter, he added.
Syed Safwanullah said welfare of low and middle income people was the MQM’s mission.
He said that the government wanted to find a solution to this major problem, adding that under a decision taken during 2001-02, the rent of the government quarters occupied by employees and retired ones had been increased. However, after taking oath of the office, he had reversed this decision reversed, he added.
A few days back again, the minister said, the rent was increased and notices to this effect issued to the concerned occupants. When the matter came to his knowledge, he ordered withdrawal of the notices forthwith, he said.
“No one would now be served notice for payment of enhanced rent nor would anyone be dislodged,” he declared.
Syed Safwanullah pointed out that of late, the government had decided to construct houses for low and middle income government employees of grade 1-16 and allot the same to them on ownership basis during the course of their service.
He said funds for the purpose would be arranged from financial institutions and recovered from the allottees of such houses in easy instalments, which would be affordable for them as the amount would be as little as the house allowance they were receiving.
He said that the first such project of 1,000 flats had been inaugurated by the prime minister in Islamabad on April 11 this year whereas in the second phase, 2,000 flats would be constructed in Karachi for which planning was being done. He said this would be followed by a third project in Lahore.
The minister said the land identified for the project in Karachi was located in Scheme-33, near Sohrab Goth.
“The teething problems that are being experienced in launching this project are being ironed out,” he remarked.
Replying to a question, he said that Clayton, Jehangir and Marston quarters were standing on the city’s prime lands with millions of people living around them.
“We are considering developing these areas keeping in view the living conditions in the quarters,” he said, adding that in this regard, surveys had also been carried out through NESPAK.
He pointed out that during the days of the late Ayub Khan, it had been decided to allot these quarters to their respective occupants on ownership basis, but since no system or procedure viz-a-viz transfer of the government land was there, a decision in this regard remained in pending.
He said the issue was being examined thoroughly now with the involvement of ministries of law and finance.
The relevant study, he said, was at a stage where the government would be able to take a decision.
In reply to a question, the minister said the work on government quarters in Karachi would start during the current quarter and the government would certainly devise a criteria for the construction of the flats.
SOCIETIES: Laws relating to the registration and functioning of cooperative housing societies would be streamlined so that the inconvenience being faced by people could be brought to an end, Federal Housing Minister Syed Safwanullah told PPI on Monday.
He said that a committee, headed by him, had been assigned the task of reviewing the laws.
The committee was formed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and comprised federal and provincial ministers, advisers and officials, he added.
Syed Safwanullah said that the first meeting of the committee would be held on Tuesday (July 12) in Karachi.
“When a society is registered under a law, such as company law, cooperative law, etc., the subscribers do not know about the terms and conditions attached to the registration of a particular society. Hence, they face numerous problems due to multiplication of laws for registration,” he observed.
He pointed out that a housing society would receive payments from subscribers for booking a house, flat or plot but it would not initiate projects on the prescribed time due to non-availability of land.
This would create problems for subscribers and to avoid this, the committee would suggest legislation.
He said the committee would also find ways to discourage over-subscription.
In this context, he observed that a society having project of 400 flats would do booking of more than 4,000 flats for obvious reasons.
The minister said that the committee would review causes of non-implementation of the National Housing Policy presented in 2001.
Under the policy, he said, master plans had to be prepared for every city by the local and provincial governments.—PPI
