ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works on Tuesday approved the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority Bill 2019.

The committee, which met here in Parliament House, after a detailed discussion approved the bill aimed at permanently converting the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) into a full-fledged authority.

FGEHF was a subsidiary of the Ministry of Housing and Works and it was a company with limited powers, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. In July this year, the government converted the FGEHF into authority through a Presidential Ordinance.

President Dr Arif Alvi had signed the FGEHA Ordinance 2019, establishing the authority for the purposes of planning and developing housing schemes for the serving and retired government employees and other specified groups.

Official says the proposed authority will work independently, approve its schemes

After promulgation of the ordinance, it is now mandatory to have a bill to this effect passed by the standing committees concerned of both the houses and its subsequent approval from parliament.

The standing committee, headed by Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Mohammad Shahi, approved the bill after a detailed discussion. However, Senators Bahramand Khan Tangi and Anwar Lal Dean voted against the bill, saying they opposed it because the proposed authority would acquire land from public through Land Acquisition Act on government rate, which would be injustice with the people.

Secretary Housing Dr Imran Zeb Khan said that the authority would focus on joint ventures with private parties in a transparent manner. With the direction of making two changes in the bill, the committee approved the bill. After showing satisfaction at the briefing by the secretary, the committee approved the bill with a direction that land should be acquired from public in accordance with market rate while director general should be secretary of the authority.

An official of the housing ministry told Dawn that once the law was passed the authority would have the power to acquire land, develop it and carry out planning of the scheme itself instead of relying on other government organisations.

He said that instead of looking towards CDA, the FGEHA would work independently and approve its schemes without involvement of other organisations.

He, however, said that bylaws and existing rules of the specific areas, where the authority will launch schemes, would be implemented. The proposed authority is authorised to develop housing schemes anywhere in the country on ‘no profit, no loss’ basis for mainly government employees.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2019