ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: The Senate standing committee on housing and works on Monday asked the government to take active steps to retrieve all official land currently under occupation of land mafia.

The committee, which met with Senator Dr Mohammad Ali Brohi in the chair, during a presentation on the national housing policy was informed that paucity of government land was one of the main reasons behind lack of new housing schemes for the middle and low-income groups.

The meeting was told that most of the flats in the Wafaqi Colony had been occupied by police personnel; member of the committee Senator Shamsul Mulk told Dawn. The committee directed the ministry to obtain rent from the provincial police department for the quarters under its occupation since 1989 in Lahore and give three months to shift the police station from Wafaqi Colony to its proper premises.

The chief engineer PWD (central), Lahore, informed the meeting that the police department had already agreed to pay the rent and vacate the quarters.

The committee directed the ministry of housing and works to get the 134 kanals of official land currently under occupation in the Wafaqi Colony Lahore by moving the court under the 2005 ordinance against land grabbing.

The committee appreciated the federal government’s decision to broaden the scope of Pakistan Housing Authority’s housing schemes to federally-constituted occupational groups to include all officers of the federal government in BPS-17 and above irrespective of their occupational groups and services. It was informed that implementation of the scheme would be made in phases and 234 acres on Kuri Road would be utilised for Phase-I of the scheme in relaxation of ICT (zoning) regulations.

The secretary ministry of housing informed the meeting that the country was currently facing shortage of housing units up to seven million, which was likely to increase further in the coming years. Realising its potential as a productive sector of the economy, the government has declared housing and construction as a priority industry besides formulating a workable national housing policy containing a number of short- and long-term policy measures and incentives for accelerating housing activity, he added.

The committee expressed concern over inordinate delay in the renovation/expansion and development work at Dargah Sehwan Sharif in district Dadu. It also took exception to the alleged interference by the DCO and administrator Auqaf in the work of the sub-committee constituted by it, saying that it was a breach of privilege which not only delayed the project but also affected the overall grandeur and ambience of the shrine by giving it an unimpressive exterior.