Senate body unhappy with progress on PWD projects

Legislators demand govt officials to behave responsibly

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Construction convened by Haji Hidayatullah Khan on Monday expressed frustration over the submission of documents on the day of the meeting.

The committee sought details of projects from Public Works Department (PWD) in the next meeting.

During the meeting, Senator Behrmand Tangi said that it was not acceptable for the relevant ministries to send documents at midnight. He asked how they could resolve the issues without studying them.

The chairman panel also complained that they did not receive documents until the morning.

He asked the committee’s secretary about his antecedents. To which the official replied that he was the coordination director general (DG) in the Senate and basic pay scale (BPS) 20 cadre.

The committee chairman retorted that the official didn’t seem to know anything despite being in a high grade.

Hidayatullah Khan directed the DG coordination to start sending the meeting agenda on time.

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The housing secretary, Imran Zeb, said that they gave Rs7 billion to the Akhuwat Foundation that gives interest-free loans up to Rs1 million to the people.

He added that the foundation had financed 15,000 houses until June while they plan to build 44,000 houses by 2023.

The secretary was directed to provide details of pending and ongoing projects of PWD in the next meeting.

The housing secretary said that there are 3,282 plots in Green Enclave-I and the project will be completed by June 20, 2023.

He said 10 per cent of work on Chaklala Heights Rawalpindi apartments has been done and it will be completed by December 30, 2023.

He also said that the housing authority will build 100 houses in Rawalkot in a joint venture with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government by December 30, 2023.

It will also construct 730 apartments by December, 2024 in collaboration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.