ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: The Senate Sub-Committee on Labour, and Overseas Pakistanis on Monday directed the OPF authorities to get a final decision for initiating development work on OPF Housing Scheme Islamabad.

The members of the committee, which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Enver Baig expressed their concern and took a strong notice of the irregularities in the OPF Housing Scheme.

They were of the view that though the overseas Pakistanis have made full payment from their hard-earned money for the allotment of plot in the scheme since 1999 but nothing exist on ground.

They further observed that due to the unnecessary delays on part of the OPF the overseas Pakistanis have suffered a lot and the issue needs to be resolved as early as possible to mitigate their hardships.

The committee gave a final date of February 15, 2006 to the OPF authorities to come with a final decision from the Ministry to give cut off date for starting the development work on the project and submit a report to the committee in its next meeting scheduled to be held on February 15, 2006.

The committee further discussed the OPF Housing Scheme located in Islamabad so as to suggest ways and means to remove the constraints causing delay in initiating the development work on the scheme.

Khalid Latif, Managing Director, OPF informed the Committee about the steps taken by the OPF for the removal of bottlenecks in the way of OPF housing scheme in the Federal Capital.

He said that a comprehensive proposal containing various options to address the bottlenecks being faced by OPF in initiating development work on the scheme has been submitted to the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis on February 3, 2006 in light of the instructions/directives of Sub-Committee given in its first meeting held on January 24, 2006.

The meeting was attended by Senators Muhammad Enver Baig (Convener) and Fauzai Fakhruz Zaman. Muhammad Aslam Sanjrani, Secretary, OP, Division, Khalid Latif, MD, OPF, Habibur Rehman, Secretary, OPF and other senior officers of the OPF were also present.—APP