LAHORE: A number of buyers of plots of the Ashiana Quaid Housing Scheme on Tuesday criticised the government for not launching the construction of two-marla houses for them despite the passing of many years.

“We have been approaching for the last couple of years the senior officials of the Housing Department, Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) and others but no one takes up the issue seriously. And if the government continues reflecting such behvaiour, we will have no option but to intensify our protest move besides approaching the court of law for our rights,” said Muhammad Asif, one of the 174 affected people of the project.

The Ashiana Quaid project was launched by the Punjab government in 2011. The PLDC, a company owned by the provincial government, started work on the project that was designed to provide two-marla double storey houses to 3,000 people. After balloting and shortlisting of the deserving people, around 500 of the total 3,000 people did not deposit the advance amount of Rs200,000 and the initial installments. On this, the government did not initiate any sort of civil work in block-F that was planned for a total 674 people among the six blocks (A to F).

Dissolution of PLDC delays completion of task

The government shifted names of remaining 174 to Block-C. Though, the people, who were allotted houses in blocks A, B, D and E and most of C Block members got possession of their houses, the government failed to construct houses for the remaining 174 people of C Block, who were shifted here from the F-block.

“Yesterday (on Monday), we staged a sit-in outside the office of the secretary (housing) where we closed the main gate of the building,” said Muhammad Javaid, another plot holder. “If they (the government) continue ignoring us, we will intensify our protest,” he warned.

They said the government also abolished several companies, including the PLDC, which diminished chances of construction of houses. “Since we all are poor workers and don’t belong to any political party, the PTI government must resolve our issue rather than terming the project as of the PML-N,” reads a letter by the plot holders.

When contacted, Secretary (Housing) Nadeem Mehboob said the PLDC was passing through a dissolution process. “The affected peoples’ demand is genuine. But the issue is that the company is in a dissolution phase under which the decision related to assets and liabilities is to be taken by the liquidator,” he explained.

“So what the liquidator’s decision could be — to refund the payments of affectees with interest or construct houses for them, we don’t know,” he added.

“But I assure you that this issue would be resolved under the law finally.”

ADMIN: Lahore Commissioner Asif Bilal Lodhi in a meeting on Tuesday directed the city district administration and others concerned to ensure closure of all unlawfully set up sacrificial animals’ sale points within a few days, according to a spokesman.

RAILWAYS: Railway Police on Tuesday lodged FIRs against 29 people for illegally crossing the railway lines at various spots in Pakistan.

According to a spokesman, the special teams also impounded a mini truck for trespassing on the track and hitting the level crossing gate, near Mumtazabad, Multan.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2020