PESHAWAR, Aug 5: Withdrawal of house requisition allowance by the provincial government has hit the government servants, official sources said.

“The NWFP government withdrew the allowance eight years ago for want of funds. Nonetheless, the employees working under the federal government and other three provinces have been receiving the same allowance,” they said.

According to sources, the government had been giving only 45 per cent house rent on the basic pay of the employees, which is too small. Employees working in cities and remote places outside Peshawar, are the worst victims as they are being given only 30 per cent of their basic salary.

Citing an example, the sources said that a federal government’s employee in BPS-17 was getting Rs 6,400 under the head of house requisition allowance, whereas his/her counterpart in the Frontier province was being given only Rs 1,291 under the same head. The amount given to the employees outside Peshawar, was only Rs 861.

An official of the education department said that he had been paying Rs 7,000 for his rented house, whereas he was getting only Rs 1,694 from the government.

The official said there was an urgent need to increase house rent and restore house requisition allowance to facilitate those who were living in rented houses.

The provincial government employees argue that the government was extending all allowances to its employees in line with the policies of federal government, but was reluctant to restore the house requisition facility.

Likewise, other provinces have increased house rent but nothing has been done in the NWFP since 1991.

According to them, they were paid Rs 1,000 as house rent in 1991, which has now gone up to Rs 3,000. Non-gazetted employees are the main sufferers, who are unable to rent a house in the city and have to travel to their native villages every day. Expressing inconvenience they have demanded to increase their house rent.