ISLAMABAD, April 30: Federal housing minister informed the Senate on Wednesday that on one hand about 17,421 federal government employees were awaiting allotment of official residences, on the other there were eight officers posted outside Islamabad during the last two years but were retaining their official accommodation.

Almost all of these officers including a retired army officer, a former director Federal Investigation Agency and two police officers were not paying any rent, amounting to Rs1.42 million) for their official accommodations in the federal capital for months, said Federal Minister for Housing and Works Rehmatullah Kakar during question hour.

Giving details, he said Rs155,748 were payable against Col Muhammad Javed Noor (retired) for a house in Sector F-8/3, who was OSD Establishment Division when he was posted out of Islamabad.

The minister said Rs281,000 were payable against Muhammad Ali, former Commandant Police College Sihala, for his house in Sector F-6/3. Former additional inspector general police Islamabad Chaudhry Ehsan Sadiq was also to pay rent to the tune of Rs188,430 for his house in G-10/3.

An amount of Rs123,090 was payable against former director FIA Saud Gohar for a house in I-8/1, still under his occupation. A rent of Rs242,450 was payable against former additional secretary Interior Division Chaudhry Qamar Zaman for his house in F-6/3. An amount of Rs264,008 was due to Sheikh Naseerul Haq, former director general Federal Directorate of Audit for his house in I- 8/1.

An amount of Rs134,194 was outstanding against former principal information officer Press Information Department Ashfaq Gondal for his house in Sector F-6/4. And Rs35,983 were due to former section officer Ministry of Finance Abdul Rahman for his house in G-10/3.

The minister, however, did not say any thing about whether the officials retaining official residences without paying the rent had been served any notice or what action had been taken against them.

Answering another question, Mr Kakar said 1,750 federal government servants had applied to the Out-of-Turn Allotment Committee (OOTAC) for allotment of government accommodation under the new system. He said three meetings of the committee had been held and no employee was recommended by it for allotment of government accommodation on out-of-turn basis.

When asked if there was any proposal under consideration to construct new residences in the capital for the government servants, he pointed out that according to a cabinet decision on March 13, 1995, there was a ban on construction of the residences.

He said the government was not considering to lift the ban. The minister, however, in the same breath said one million houses for government servants would be built across the country.