ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: Islamabad police have refused to vacate some 350 houses of Estate Office (EO) despite ending of the deadline set by the latter, official sources told Dawn.

They said the EO had given a deadline of November 30 to the inspector general police, Islamabad, Zaheer Ahmed, to get the property vacated, but the police personnel were still not ready to move out.

The sources said the EO had already sent a summary to the Chief Executive Secretariat, requesting the President General Pervez Musharraf to help end occupation of its houses by the police personnel.

Before the ending of the deadline, they said, most of the police personnel had obtained stay orders from court to avoid any action against.

Meanwhile, the general waiting list (GWL), containing the number of government official who have applied to the EO for accommodation, has expanded by 35,000 applicants.

The sources said an ordinance was being promulgated under which the EO officials would be empowered to take necessary action against the illegal occupants of the government houses.

A large number of illegally occupied official residences have reportedly been sublet to other people, and the EO seems helpless in taking any action against the illegal occupants as they have obtained stay orders from different courts.

“Although the EO has earned bad reputation in the past, it is a fact that a number of its own officials, who have been serving for last 20 years, do not have government accommodation”, an official said.

He said, in compliance with the government’s directives, the EO was struggling to eradicate all malpractices in the department and make allotments on merit.

The sources alleged that besides political leaders, officials of district administration, Islamabad, local police and even retired CDA officials had acquired government houses.