ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) not to allot plots to those who had already availed the facility on subsidised rates anywhere in Islamabad.

The committee issued the order after Director General (audit) Maqbool Gondal said the foundation made out-of-turn allotments to 60 officers of the Islamabad police and the district administration.

He said the FGEHF allotted the plots to officers of the district administration and the police along with its own officials in the category of ‘professionals.’

According to an audit report, the FGEHF added to the professional category “judges of civil courts of Islamabad, employees of the office of district collector, housing foundation, law officers and members of the Islamabad bar association.”

As per the list, the foundation allotted plots to its own director general Shafqat Hussain Naghmi, ex-chief commissioner Islamabad Junaid Iqbal Chaudhry, former chief commissioner Khalid Pervez, directors FGEHF Hasnat Ahmed and Javed Iqbal, Shah Rukh Nusrat, Malik Zafar Iqbal, directors chief commissioner office Matahir Rana, Abdul Qudoos, assistant inspector general police Shahid Nadeem Baloch, superintendent of police Zubair Hashmi and SSP Sultan Azam Temuri.

Mr Gondal pointed out that these officers were entitled to the quota from their respective cadres where they might be allotted plots as per their seniority but the FGEHF compensated them under the professional quota bypassing the seniority rules.

In addition, the executive committee of the FGEHF allotted plots to its members, which were, however, cancelled by the prime minister.

The audit report observed that “in this way eligible and entitled government officials in the waiting list were deprived of the allotment of plots. Had merit been observed the shelter-less government employees would have been accommodated as per their seniority.”

The report added that the FGEHF caused Rs389 million loss to the national exchequer by making out-of-turn allotment of plots.

PAC Chairman Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said the police officials could get plots on subsidised rates from the National Police Foundation (NPF). Therefore, they were not entitled to get plots from the FGEHF.

He said judges of the superior courts and even mediapersons were awarded more than one plots on subsidised rates.

He directed that those serving or retired officers, professionals and mediapersons who had availed subsidised plots in any government scheme were not entitled to the FGEHF schemes in future.

He directed the PAC secretary to write letters to the prime minister and the speaker National Assembly over the allotment policy.

Director General FGEHF Waqas Mehmood told the committee that the prime minister had approved the policy for allotment of plots to the professionals.

PAC member Dr Arif Alvi said the FGEHF did not implement the policy as per the prime minister’s directives.

Mr Shah then constituted a subcommittee, comprising Shafqat Mehmood, Mian Abdul Manan and Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, to examine the out-of-turn allotments and directed it to submit a report in a fortnight.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2016