ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was informed on Tuesday that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had not paid rent of Rs480 million to the Ministry of Housing and Works since March 2021 for the use of its building Federal Lodges, Wafaqi Colony, Dhana Singh Wala, Lahore, and the building had still not been vacated.
“The Punjab Police has illegally possessed accommodations of the Ministry of Housing and Works in Wafaqi Colony, Lahore, since 1990 and had never paid a single penny in lieu of using these accommodations.”
The meeting of the Senate panel was presided by its Chairman Senator Nasir Mehmood, to identify the reasons for delays in Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Federal Government Employee Housing Authority (FGEHA) projects, and the unauthorised utilisation of government accommodations by other departments without approval or payment of rent.
Senator Mehmood commended the input of all the committee members regarding the vacation of illegally possessed accommodations of the Ministry of Housing and Works in Wafaqi Colony, Lahore, by the Punjab Police.
Punjab Police submitted the compliance report over the directions passed by the committee, stating the Punjab Police paid Rs1.6 million in rent up to the year 2024 and assured the committee that the remaining rent would be paid in the upcoming financial year.
The Senate committee was also briefed on the non-payment of rent since March 2021 by the NAB for the use of a building of the housing ministry in Federal Lodges, Wafaqi Colony, Lahore.
It was revealed that a total of Rs480 million had not yet been paid to the ministry, and the building has still not been vacated. It was informed that the decision on the matter was pending with the Prime Minister’s Office.
The committee found that no agreement had been signed between the two departments.
The chairman expressed serious displeasure over the negligence of the housing ministry in this regard.
Senator Saifullah Abro urged the departments concerned to discourage such practices and maintain clear documentation when signing agreements.
The chairman directed both the departments to settle the matter within one month, warning that if they failed to implement the committee’s decision, the officers involved in the negligence will be summoned and punished.
While briefing on the progress of the construction of Islamabad Jail, the chairman CDA said the project was handed over by Public Works Department (PWD) to the CDA with a revised cost of Rs7.4 billion on July 26, 2024.
In Phase I, the construction of the admin block and boundary wall had been completed up to 98 per cent, and roads and infrastructure up to 75 per cent, he said, adding he delays in funding from the Ministry of Planning and Development caused the project’s delay.
The committee expressed concern over the delay in fund disbursement by the Ministry of Finance and other concerned authorities and directed that the ministries of Planning and Development and Finance be summoned to brief the committee on the delay in releasing funds to the Ministry of Interior for the CDA projects.
The chairman, upon the request of the chairman CDA, recommended for hiring human resources required to operate the jail.
On the issue of malfunctioning of lifts in the Shaheed-e-Millat Building, the chairman CDA stated that only one out of five lifts was operational. Another lift had been repaired, but three were still not working.
He, however, added the CDA had urgently issued a tender notice of Rs120 million for the repair of the three lifts.
The committee was informed that in the Shaheed-e-Millat Building and other government offices, some lifts were specifically reserved for VIPs/senior officers, and public or government employees were not allowed to use them.
The committee took serious notice of this VIP culture in government buildings and directed the CDA to eliminate such practices and ensure all lifts were accessible to the general public.
Joint secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, briefed the committee on the seniority list for the allotment of government accommodations to federal employees.