LAHORE, Aug 28: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Faisal Saleh Hayat has allegedly allotted a house at Lahore's Wafaqi Colony to a junior official by denying the facility to a much senior officer.

The minister is alleged to have cancelled the allotment order earlier issued by former state minister for housing Raza Hayat Hiraj in favour of a senior official who has been living in a low-category house at Government Officers Residences (GOR-V) of the provincial capital for the last 25 years.

Documents made available to Dawn reveal that the Housing and Works Ministry had allotted an official house No 6-B in Wafaqi Colony to Director General Audit and Accounts (Punjab) Karamat Hussain Bukhari (a grade-20 officer of the federal government) on Aug 28, 2009 subject to vacation basis.

As the house was supposed to be vacated by retired official Tayyab Sultan (former Deputy Auditor General of Pakistan) on Sept 1, 2011, Mr Bukhari submitted an application to Mr Hiraj last month to order giving him possession of the house in the light of the allotment notification No.F.6-B/WC-EIII issued by the ministry earlier.

The minister directed the officials concerned to ensure possession of the house on a top priority and submit a compliance report to him. But the officials of the ministry's estate department got the house allotted to a grade-17 official of the information department (federal government) through Faisal Saleh Hayat.

“I am very surprised that why the federal minister (Mr Hayat) didn't honour my entitlement based on merit,” Mr Bukhari told this reporter on Sunday.

He said he had joined the department after clearing the CSS exam in 1982. “As I am a senior official and will get promotion in grade-21 soon, I always lived in a low-category house for the last 25 years. The residence in GOR-5 where I am living is actually for the grade-17 officers,” he lamented.

He said that in 2009 he learnt about the house No 6-B in Wafaqi Colony being occupied by a retired official, Mr Tayyab Sultan, who had to vacate the house on Sept 1, 2011. He said after receiving information about the house he immediately submitted the application in August 2009 on which the ministry's section officer (E-III) Muhammad Shahid Ahmad Chaudhry issued allotment letter for the aforesaid house in his favour on the orders of the competent authority.

He said prior to vacation of the house by Mr Sultan he also submitted application to state minister Mr Hiraj who issued appropriate orders in connection with giving him the house's possession.

He said he was on top of the merit list in the race of getting the residence but the federal minister cancelled his allotment orders to oblige a much junior official.

He said the officials who had allotted the house to a junior official had also violated the stay order recently issued by a local civil court in his favour. He urged Mr Hayat to immediately cancel the allotment orders.

Federal Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat was not available for comments. His PSO claimed he (Mr Hayat) was abroad.