ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Friday recommended construction of high-rise buildings in place of old government houses located in various sectors of the capital for optimal use of the land.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior met with Senator Mohsin Aziz in the chair.

In the past, the CDA constructed large single-storey houses in various sectors, including F-6, G-6, F-7, G-8 and G-9, and handed them over to the Ministry of Housing for allotment to government servants. These houses covered acres of land.

The committee discussed the matter on a question raised by Senator Kamran Murtaza.

Senator Mohsin Aziz said people always complained about lack of funds and a mechanism for repair and maintenance of government houses.

The committee recommended that all old government houses should be razed and high-rise apartment buildings built in their place. It also directed that there should be a mechanism for the repair and maintenance of government houses.

l Committee asks CDA chairman to discuss matter with ministries of housing, finance l Senators concerned over reports about growing tendency of drug use in educational institutions

The lawmakers directed the CDA chairman, Amer Ali Ahmed, to discuss the matter with the ministries of housing and finance and share its outcome with the committee.

Moreover, the meeting discussed the stalled sector of I-12. Senator Fawzia Arshad said the CDA had announced opening of the sector in 1996 but so far it had not been developed. Many years ago, the civic agency started development activities but stopped it after completing 25pc of the work.

The CDA chairman told the committee that fully-fledged development work on the sector would be started in July this year, adding that in the past, the civic body was a bankrupt organisation but in the last few years the financial condition of the organisation had seen a significant improvement and now it had Rs53 billion in its accounts.

He said there would be no further delay in the development of the sector.

The committee decided to visit I-12 in July. It also got a briefing from the CDA about slums and the E-11 sector where last year a woman and her child died in flooding caused due to the narrowing down of a natural stream. The Senate body was told that a hydrological survey of E-11 was being conducted.

The members also discussed traffic burden on Islamabad Expressway.

They were told that the Islamabad Traffic Police and the CDA would allow vehicles to ply on one lane on the other side of the expressway on an experimental basis to provide relief to motorists during rush hours.

Drugs in educational institutions

The committee expressed its grave concerns over reports about growing tendency of use of drugs in educational institutions.

The lawmakers were of the view that there should be drug test of students to check the menace.

However, Senator Kamran Murtaza said without legislation drug test could not be conducted. To this, the committee chairman said if there was a need for legislation the committee would play its role.

It also directed that an anti-drug campaign be launched in educational institutions.

Police officers told the meeting that in the last two months, 175 drug suppliers had been arrested from the surrounding areas of educational institutions and drugs recovered from their possession.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2022