ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works on Tuesday approved Rs12.34 billion for 149 housing schemes to be completed under the Public Sector Development Programme 2017-18.

The Ministry of Housing and Works proposed 179 projects at a cost of Rs17.2bn for the next fiscal year, but the committee headed by Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari directed exclusion of 46 projects amounting to Rs4.8bn.

The Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD) will execute the proposed schemes.

The committee was of the view that 46 excluded project were unnecessary and should be taken up after necessary need assessment and completion of the ongoing projects.

The committee observed that delay in execution of work on the schemes resulted in PC-I revision, cost escalation and over-burdening the national exchequer.

It directed the finance and planning ministries to ensure timely release of funds for the projects to avoid wastage of public money. The meeting was attended by Rajab Ali Khan Baloch, Rana Zahid Hussain Khan, Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Tahira Aurangzeb, Khalida Mansoor, Nighat Parveen Mir, Faqir Sher Muh­ammad Bilalani, Sajid Nawaz Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Iqbal Muha­mmad Ali Khan, Molana Ameer Zaman, Sec­retary Ministry of Housing, Director General (Pak-PWD) and other senior officers of the concerned departments.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017