ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Government Assurances adopted a report of its subcommittee and directed the CDA to hold an inquiry into the levy of developmental charges on allottees in residential housing schemes without completion of the development work.

The committee said the inquiry should ascertain lapses and delays in the legal process with respect to the land acquired for new sectors. The committee observed that allottees should not be penalised for the negligence of the CDA. The committee met under the chairpersonship of Nuzhat Sadiq MNA in Parliament House on Thursday.

The convener of the subcommittee told the meeting that the chairman CDA despite having prior intimation had not attended its meeting which was a sheer disrespect to the parliamentary forum.

He added that the subcommittee had noted with grave concern that most of the sectors being developed by CDA were subject to litigation stretching over decades. It noted the inactivity on part of the CDA legal team in pursuing the cases. It recommended a thorough inquiry to ascertain the lapses and delays in the legal process.

The committee disposed of the matter on delay in operationalising of sewerage pipelines in Banigala on the satisfactory action taken by the ICT administration. The meeting was told that sewerage lines in Banigala had been operationalised and PC-1 for including other localities of the area for bringing them into the sewerage waste disposal system submitted to the DDWP for approval.

The committee also disposed of a matter related to exorbitant prices of food items by vendors on motorways on the submission of documentary evidence by National Highway Authority (NHA) regarding action taken against delinquent vendors.

The committee while discussing implementation status of an assurance given by minister for information on the floor of the House regarding payment of minimum salaries to employees accepted its reply, but directed for ensuring payment of minimum salary to workers of services outsourced by organisations under the ministry.

The committee while discussing the assurance given by the minister for federal education in a calling attention notice regarding non-provision of laptops to students of Allama Iqbal Open University asked the ministry to create special provision to give laptops to students from erstwhile tribal areas under the PM’s laptop scheme. The committee was told that distribution of laptops to students from AIOU had begun and 1800 laptops had been distributed. The committee accepted the reply and disposed of the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2026