Festering issues: Senate panel wants inquiries into Gun, Islamabad clubs
CADD told to file report of inquiries, resolve issue of daily wagers in one week
CADD told to file report of inquiries, resolve issue of daily wagers in one week. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
A Senate panel on Tuesday directed the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to hold an inquiry into the hiring of a secretary for the Gun and Country Club and also about complaints at the Islamabad Club.
The panel also directed the division to decide about regularisation of daily wage employees within a week.
During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat at the Parliament House on Tuesday, it reviewed a host of issues including matters pertaining to the Gun and Country Club, the issue of daily waged teachers, Islamabad Senior Citizens Board Bill 2017.
Lawmakers suggested that CADD inquire about the hiring of a secretary for the Gun and Country Club and demanded that the inquiry report, once complete, is submitted.
Noting that they had been receiving a number of complaints regarding the secretaries of Polo Club and Islamabad Club, it directed the CADD secretary to review the complaints.
The committee’s chairman Senator Talha Mehmood expressed concerns that the same official had been the secretary of Islamabad Club for 20 years.
Daily wagers
Reviewing the matter of unpaid salaries of daily wagers in Islamabad’s schools, the committee asked daily wage teachers to meet with CADD Minister to decide about their regularisation.
Should they fail to come to a decision, the panel said that they would call all the concerned departments in an emergency meeting to give a final decision on the matter.
Meanwhile, a delegation of teachers, who were present at Tuesday’s meeting, maintained that around 10,000 daily wage employees of various ministries and departments had been regularised on the recommendation of a regularisation committee headed by former federal minister Syed Khursheed Shah. However, the government had been procrastinating on the committee’s decision for years despite the fact that the apex court and the high court had directed the government to regularise teachers working on daily wages.
Senator Khushbakht Shujaat criticised CADD’s attitude towards daily wage staff.
CADD Secretary Nargis Ghaloo told the committee that the finance minister had approved allocations for paying daily wage staffers. However, she said that the matter of regularisation was not in their hands since the FPSC has to decide their case.
The committee further decided that the CADD would look into the bill titled “The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Board Bill 2017,” moved by Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan in the Senate, along with the bill CADD presented and draft one final bill after taking into account suggestions given by CDA.
Government land allotment
On the floor of the upper house on Tuesday, Housing and Works Minister Akram Khan Durrani said that two proposals to acquire land for the construction of houses for government employees and the general public in Islamabad were under consideration.
During the question hour session, the minister said that the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) had requested over 15 acres of land in Sectors F-14 and F-15, which had been approved by its executive committee.
He added that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had been requested to identify and allocate land for FGEHF but the civic agency’s reply on the matter was still awaited.
To another question, he said that the Islamabad Capital Territory land acquisition collector had requested Rs14,497 billion for acquiring land in Sector F-14.
He confirmed that registered members who qualified for age-wise security under Category-I, II and III, were being issued provisional offer letters (POLs) for Phase-II in Sector F-14 and F-15 Housing Scheme, and were being asked to deposit the second instalment as a tentative cost of land.
However, he said the actual cost of land was yet to be finalised.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2017.
A Senate panel on Tuesday directed the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to hold an inquiry into the hiring of a secretary for the Gun and Country Club and also about complaints at the Islamabad Club.
The panel also directed the division to decide about regularisation of daily wage employees within a week.
During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat at the Parliament House on Tuesday, it reviewed a host of issues including matters pertaining to the Gun and Country Club, the issue of daily waged teachers, Islamabad Senior Citizens Board Bill 2017.
Lawmakers suggested that CADD inquire about the hiring of a secretary for the Gun and Country Club and demanded that the inquiry report, once complete, is submitted.
Noting that they had been receiving a number of complaints regarding the secretaries of Polo Club and Islamabad Club, it directed the CADD secretary to review the complaints.
The committee’s chairman Senator Talha Mehmood expressed concerns that the same official had been the secretary of Islamabad Club for 20 years.
Daily wagers
Reviewing the matter of unpaid salaries of daily wagers in Islamabad’s schools, the committee asked daily wage teachers to meet with CADD Minister to decide about their regularisation.
Should they fail to come to a decision, the panel said that they would call all the concerned departments in an emergency meeting to give a final decision on the matter.
Meanwhile, a delegation of teachers, who were present at Tuesday’s meeting, maintained that around 10,000 daily wage employees of various ministries and departments had been regularised on the recommendation of a regularisation committee headed by former federal minister Syed Khursheed Shah. However, the government had been procrastinating on the committee’s decision for years despite the fact that the apex court and the high court had directed the government to regularise teachers working on daily wages.
Senator Khushbakht Shujaat criticised CADD’s attitude towards daily wage staff.
CADD Secretary Nargis Ghaloo told the committee that the finance minister had approved allocations for paying daily wage staffers. However, she said that the matter of regularisation was not in their hands since the FPSC has to decide their case.
The committee further decided that the CADD would look into the bill titled “The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Board Bill 2017,” moved by Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan in the Senate, along with the bill CADD presented and draft one final bill after taking into account suggestions given by CDA.
Government land allotment
On the floor of the upper house on Tuesday, Housing and Works Minister Akram Khan Durrani said that two proposals to acquire land for the construction of houses for government employees and the general public in Islamabad were under consideration.
During the question hour session, the minister said that the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) had requested over 15 acres of land in Sectors F-14 and F-15, which had been approved by its executive committee.
He added that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had been requested to identify and allocate land for FGEHF but the civic agency’s reply on the matter was still awaited.
To another question, he said that the Islamabad Capital Territory land acquisition collector had requested Rs14,497 billion for acquiring land in Sector F-14.
He confirmed that registered members who qualified for age-wise security under Category-I, II and III, were being issued provisional offer letters (POLs) for Phase-II in Sector F-14 and F-15 Housing Scheme, and were being asked to deposit the second instalment as a tentative cost of land.
However, he said the actual cost of land was yet to be finalised.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2017.