The members of the Thallian Housing Scheme, Islamabad, will be accommodated in other projects, as the scheme has been shelved because the project contractor has withdrawn from the joint venture agreement.
This was revealed during the 16th meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Housing and Works held under the Chairmanship of Engr. Muhammad Najeeb Haroon at the Parliament House on Tuesday.
The committee was informed by Director General Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) that the housing scheme planned for Thallian, Islamabad, was disbanded, as the contractor, M/s K.S. Developers and Builders (Pvt.) Ltd. had stepped back from the project agreement. He, however, assured the members of the said project would be accommodated in the ensuing schemes.
The committee expressed concerns over the disbandment of the scheme by FGEHA, commenting that the members might “get a heart attack” on this disclosure.
Subsequently, the committee directed the DG FGEHA to provide to it the details of the bank accounts, along with the volume of funds generated on account of the fee charged from the members of different projects and the volume of interest accrued thereupon.
The DG FGEHA informed the NA panel that the physical progress of the projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was up to the mark. “Hopefully, the apartments will be handed over to the allottees within the stipulated period of time,” he asserted. He said these projects were likely to face escalation in the expenditure due to the unprecedented hike in the rates of steel and cement in the country. To this, the committee urged the Authority to evolve a policy to not transfer the escalation charges to the allottees.
The CEO Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) apprised the committee of the project being undertaken by PHA in Quetta under the umbrella of the Naya Pakistan Housing Program and said the project would be completed within the due course of time. The committee directed the CEO to ensure smooth handing over of apartments to their real allottees.
The committee expressed dismay over the bad state of affairs at Qasr-e-Naz Karachi, Chamba House Lahore, and other federal government hostels in Quetta and Peshawar. It constituted a sub-committee comprising four MNAs with a mandate to look into this issue and suggest remedial measures for making improvements in such precious government properties.
Besides the Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, the meeting was attended by MNAs Mehboob Shah, Malik Anwar Taj, Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar, Ch. Javed Iqbal Warraich, Zille Huma, Wajiha Qamar, Salahuddin, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary, Tahira Aurangzeb, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Abid Hussain Bhayo, Syed Agha Rafiullah, and Syed Mehmood Shah. Senior officers of the Ministry of Housing and Works, FGEHA, and Estate Office were also present in the meeting.
Source: Pro Pakistani