Spending big on ministers’ homes

Govt has spent over Rs16 million on repairs and renovations of 37 houses in the minister's colony.

ISLAMABAD:

Despite claims of fiscal austerity, the government has spent over Rs16 million on repairs and renovation of 37 houses in the ministers’ colony, Islamabad since March 2008, the minister for housing and works informed the National Assembly during the question hour on Monday.

While the minister did not furnish details of who occupies these houses, he did add that over a million rupees have been spent on three of the 37 houses during the period in question.

A total of 2,286 madrassas have been registered since March 2008, said Minister of Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah while responding to a query by a lawmaker.

The total production and sales of Pakistan Steel Mills fell by a third during 2009-10 when compared to the preceding year, said Minister for Industries and Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani.

The steel mill’s production fell by 37 per cent to 442,683 metric tonnes, while its sales plummeted by 31 per cent to Rs22.9 billion in 2009-10, compared to the previous year, the minister added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th,  2011.