FGEHA advertises properties without executive board approval

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) has advertised 7,450 properties of residential and commercial plots in two sectors of G-12 and F-12 without getting prior approval of its Executive Board and fulfilling other prerequisites, it was learnt.

This has caused alarm bells to ring among the high-ups. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who also holds the portfolio of Housing Minister, has taken notice of this move and directed the secretary Housing to furnish a report on this issue.

According to the preliminary assessment for Built-Up Properties (BuP), there are 4,100 residential properties in G-12 and 2,400 in F-12, thus the total number of residential properties stood at 6,500. The commercial properties in G-12 stand at 600 and in F-12 at 350, so the commercial properties in the two sectors reach 950.

In total, both the residential and commercial properties in G-12 and F-12 touched the figure of 7,450. The tentative price of a plot, from 139 square yard to 500 square yard, range between Rs8,340,000 to Rs30,000,000.

Top official sources confided to The News on Sunday that the FGEHA advertised residential and commercial properties in F-12 and G-12 in haste and without getting approval from the Executive Board of the FGEHA, which consists of the Minister for Housing, Managing Director (MD) Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) Foundation, chief commissioner, chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), DG PPWD and others.

The launching of F-12 and G-12 sectors was not devised by any workable financial model. It has been feared that the project was announced to just collect money from the general public and overseas Pakistanis without proper planning and timeline for delivery of plots to applicants.

This advertisement was given for plots when in a judgment on Intra Court Appeal of FGEHA, a two-member bench comprising the then IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had declared on 03.02.2022 that the launching of F-12, F-14, F-15 and G-12 sectors was illegal and violation of Constitution being in derogation of public interest. Reportedly, the FGEHA has challenged the decision in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the matter is still sub-judice.

During the PTI-led regime, the federal cabinet approved the allocation of these two sectors to FEGHA in 2020, and a sub-committee was formed for land acquisition and to resolve lingering unresolved issues of BuPs. This formed committee approved that the FGEHA would revise the awards notified in 1985 to determine suitable compensation for the affected people. The FEGHA’s Executive Board announced compensation in 2021 amounting to Rs6,290,000 per kanal plus 15 percent compulsory acquisition charges (total: Rs7,233,500/- per kanal).

The FGEHA has decided that there will be a quota of 40 percent for federal government employees. Allotment will be issued as per waiting lists on age-wise seniority basis according to the quota policy of FGEHA, 20 percent for the general public as balloting will be done after receiving applications, 25 percent for landowners as allotment on land sharing 4:1 and 2:0.5 (01 kanal developed plot against 04 kanals non-developed land and 10 marla developed plot against 02 kanals non-developed land and 15 percent quota for overseas Pakistanis as applications have been invited through advertisements).

There are some other problems confronting the whole issue as locals of both sectors are threatening to resist any attempt to evict them from their lands without payment of compensation. Owing to all these issues, the advertisement is being termed a public fraud in the making, which will bring embarrassment for the government/FGEHA.

The sources said the secretary of Housing was kept in the dark while announcing the half-baked two sectors. This scribe sent out a question to get his version but got no reply till the filing of this report.