January 12, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 21, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 11: The ministry of housing and works has sent a proposal to the prime minister to lift ban on allotment of government houses/quarters in the federal capital, well-placed sources told Dawn.

The ministry also informed the prime minister about the growing housing problems the government servants face in the federal capital which has been aggravated by the imposition of the ban, sources said.

Earlier, the housing minister and top officials of the ministry also had a meeting with the prime minister and discussed with him the accommodation issue, the sources said.

There has, however, been no response from the prime minister side so far, sources said. Sources said the prime minister is likely to lift the ban soon.

Secretary Housing Rauf Chaudhary when asked about the ban, he admitted that a proposal had been sent to the prime minister.

“We have not received any response from the prime minister,” he added. He said the housing problems were multiplying day by day. “We have only 18,000 government houses/flats whereas the number of workers working in different government bodies runs into 100,000,” he said.

Rauf Chaudhary said that they had about 18,000 employees on the waiting list. “What can we do as there is such a big gap between the requirement and the availability of quarters,” he asked.

About the illegal occupants of government houses especially those occupied by the Islamabad police, the secretary said that whenever they try to take action against them, they get stay from courts.

Even if the stay is vacated, it is difficult to get these houses vacated from the police, he said.

“We have no force which could be used to eject the illegal occupants,” he said. Police is used to dislodge them and cops never take action against their fellow policemen, he said.

It has been learnt that the housing ministry has also proposed to the prime minister to sell all the existing government houses and pay rent amount to employees instead of providing them accommodation.

After receiving excessive complaints about bribes and commissions being extorted from poor employees in return for allotment of houses, the prime minister imposed ban on new allotments.