ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Monday expressed concern over delays in the completion of development work in two housing schemes of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) in Bhara Kahu, including Green Enclave-I and Sky Garden.

The FGEHA had launched Sky Garden through a joint venture.

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Nasir Mehmood, received a briefing on both schemes, as thousands of allottees have been waiting for developed plots for years.

The Director General of FGEHA briefed the committee on the Green Enclave-I project at Bhara Kahu. The committee was informed that a joint venture agreement for land measuring 3,153 kanals was signed in April 2009.

The Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the matter in June 2009 and gave its verdict on February 27, 2013. Subsequently, Green Enclave-I was formally launched in 2015.

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However, development work could not commence as the contractor objected to the agreed rates, refused to proceed and obtained a stay order from the Islamabad High Court the same year.

The committee was further informed that the project has faced repeated delays, with development work coming to a halt multiple times.

In 2024, the contractor demanded a revision of rates. The matter was placed before the FGEHA board, which rejected the request after due consideration.

Expressing serious concern over the inordinate delay, Chairman Nasir Mehmood warned that if immediate progress is not ensured, he would request the prime minister to constitute a committee against the FGEHA for failing to resolve the matter.

On the Sky Garden Housing Scheme, the committee was briefed on the latest status, including litigation and court decisions, forest lands, the original PC-1 and subsequent revisions, land acquisition and tendering procedures.

The committee was informed that in 2018, the Supreme Court imposed a ban on construction within the scheme. As a result, despite having purchased plots, allottees are unable to build their houses. Members noted that if the situation persists, the hard-earned money of allottees would be wasted, creating further complications.

The chairman expressed concern over the plight of nearly 2,500 affected allottees, noting that many had invested their life savings, even selling personal belongings and gold, to purchase homes.

After a detailed discussion, the committee recommended that the agenda be deferred for two months to allow the government time to resolve the issue. It warned that if the matter remains unresolved, the committee would be compelled to take action against those responsible.

The committee also discussed the issue of non-payment of salaries to several former employees of the defunct Public Works Department (Pak PWD). It was informed that the adjustment of these employees, as demanded, was not possible since the posts were reserved for regular employees.

The chairman directed that, if possible, these employees should be adjusted against available positions and asked the Ministry of Housing to submit a detailed report to the committee.

Similarly, the committee took up the issue of the Housing Ministry’s 38-kanal land at Constantia Lodge, Kashmir Point, Murree. Officials informed that a private company had claimed ownership of the land, while Pak PWD maintained that the property belonged to it. All required documents, including payment records, had been submitted by the ministry.

It was noted that the matter could now be resolved by the Chief Settlement Commissioner.

The chairman recommended that stakeholders first hold a meeting to resolve the issue and then present a comprehensive report along with documents to the committee.

Additionally, the committee was briefed on the Life Style Apartments project of FGEHA and the current status of government houses.

The committee was informed that the Estate Office currently manages 28,800 housing units, while requests for an additional 27,000 accommodations remain pending due to limited capacity.

Despite the shortage, a considerable number of residential units remain vacant. Taking notice of this, the committee directed the Estate Office to explain how the vacant units could be utilized effectively to address the backlog of pending requests.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025