FGEHF out to buy new cars, as allottees wait for plots

Official says foundation procuring new vehicles for field trips to Naya Pakistan housing scheme

ISLAMABAD: While the government is chanting the mantra of austerity, Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEFH) has decided to purchase a fleet of new vehicles for the field visit to the newly initiated residential sectors in the federal capital.

The government officials will go to visit Naya Pakistan housing scheme in new cars. According to documents seen by The Express Tribune, the subordinate department of FGEHF under the Naya Pakistan housing programme has decided to purchase new 1,300 and 1000 CC cars for the newly started projects in the G sectors.

According to documents the vehicles will be used for fieldwork.

When contacted, FGEHF spokesperson Rabia Aurangzeb said the foundation was an independent institution free to make its own decisions. She said all decision related to the foundation is the sole responsibility of the FGEHF officers, while purchasing of the vehicle is also one of them.

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She said that the purposes of the purchase of new vehicles were to complete the projects within due time, while the decision of vehicle procurements was taken in the board meeting.

The vehicles will be used for the operational purposes in sectors G-13 and G-14, for both the Naya Pakistan Project and the FGEHF scheme.

The FGEHF was about to spend millions of rupees of taxpayer’s money, however, it has yet to deliver on its past projects.

The foundation was mandated for providing residential facilities to the federal government employees. FGEHF has failed to develop the housing scheme in Sector G in spite of the passage of 11 years. At least 150,000 government employees were anxiously waiting for the completion of the new housing schemes in the federal capital in the sectors G-13 and G-14.

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Earlier, as work on building a housing scheme for government employees in Sector G-14/1 stalls, a senior official has conceded that it will cost billions in clearing the area apart from providing alternate lands to current residents before work on the project can begin.

FEGHF Director General (DG) Waseem Hayat Bajwa said this while responding to questions during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works in the Parliament House last week. The meeting was chaired by Mir Kabeer Shahi.

During the meeting, Bajwa was asked about the allotment of plots in Sector G-14/1.

He explained that massive resources were required to just secure the land before they can be plotted.

The FGEHF chief further complained that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not allowing them to sell land in this area, which made it difficult for them to raise revenues.

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At this, the Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema suggested that the matter should be referred to the apex anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to determine why the matter was facing inordinate delays.

Cheema also told the Senate panel about the housing scheme being built in Bara Kahu. He said that work on the project started in 2009 but it was still incomplete. He added that those responsible should be brought to book after a probe into the delays.

At this, Independent Senator Sajjad Hussain Turi from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) pointed out that a Senate subcommittee had been formed to review the housing scheme and that it had formulated a report on it.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2019.