ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Monday showed concerns over slow progress on various projects of the Ministry of Housing and Works.

The Senate Committee of Housing and Works met with Senator Haji Hidayatullah in the chair. The committee got a briefing from officials of Ministry and Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) regarding issues of locals and management of Supreme Court Bar Association’s housing scheme – a joint venture of SCBA and FGEHA along Park Road.

The committee was informed that the main issue was enhancing the rates of land and after the award the rates could not be increased and FGEHA was ready to pay at the rate of Rs3.4 million per kanal to the locals.

The committee directed formation of a committee having two senior members from the Ministry of Housing and Works to look into the issue.

The matter related to a briefing by the director general (estate) regarding detail of commercial properties leased out by the estate office in the country during the last five years was deferred for further deliberation. The committee sought a date-wise report on the names of owners and years of allotment.

The director general FGEHA shared the details of current status of sectors F-14 and F-15 with the committee, adding the contractor had been mobilised and development work on the project will be completed in 18 months.

Discussing the Kashmir Avenue apartments projects, the committee showed its concerns over the delay in development work and the way the project was handled by FGEHA. The members said instead of halting the project, FGEHA should have made efforts to complete it.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022