CDA asks employees to vacate government houses

Failure to vacate accommodation would result in strict disciplinary action.

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has asked its employees, who have been allotted a residential plot or flat by the authority or any other government agency to either they or their spouse, to vacate their government-provided accommodation.

The civic agency has given such employees six months to vacate these houses. Should they fail to vacate the houses, they would be subject to strict disciplinary action under the prescribed rules.

CDA Member Administration Yasir Pirzada said that in order to streamline the process of allotting government-accommodation, many corrective actions have been taken.

He said that a new housing policy had been approved by the CDA’s Board. According to the policy, he said that all future allotments of government houses for CDA employees would be made under established norms and procedures.



In this regard, the civic agency said it had taken steps to ensure merit and transparency in allotting accommodation.

According to a circular issued by CDA Administration director general, government houses on CDA’s pool would be cancelled for those officials who either own a house or if any of their immediate family members own a house.

Further, the allocation would be cancelled for those who were previously allotted any type of government house by the CDA or Estate Office either to the officer or to their spouse. Allotments would also be cancelled for those who have been allotted any residential plot by the CDA or the Ministry of Housing and Works or any other government agency.

Allottees, however, would have a grace period of six months to transition out of their government-provided house.

Disobeying to the CDA Board’s decision will be viewed as misconduct and a violation of official procedures, rules and norms and the offending officer would be subject to strict disciplinary action under CDA Employees Service Regulation 1992.

The administration wing of CDA has taken a number of steps over the past six months to streamline the process of allocating government houses.

In this regard, the authority had suspended eight officials who were illegally occupying CDA’s houses as per Clause 16, Chapter IX of the Accommodation Allocation Rules 2002.

Furthermore, notices were issued to officers who were occupying government-provided houses despite the fact that their entitlement period had lapsed.

They were also served notices for voluntarily vacating the houses immediately under sections-IV and V Land Building (Recovery and Possession Ordinance-1965 LIV and 1965). These officials were warned that unless they vacated their houses voluntarily, they would be forced out. Moreover, a House Allotment Committee had been formed which included CDA Administration director general, Enforcement director, Maintenance director and Security director.

Additionally, a draft general waiting list was also uploaded onto CDA’s website and employees were asked to fill in the prescribed form under the rules and submit them to the CDA Administration director to determine the seniority for allotment of government accommodations in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2017.