PTI govt’s flagship project in doldrums

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works has been told that no progress has been made on the Kashmir Avenue apartment – a project started under the Naya Pakistan Housing scheme – during the tenure of PTI Chairman Imran Khan as premier.

The upper house panel, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Haji Hidayatullah also discussed the issue of Mauza Tama and Moorian villages land acquisition.

Mauza Tama and Moorian are two villages in Islamabad where the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) has to develop a residential scheme for the government employees but landowners there insist that rate of their properties should be increased.

FGEHA is a body that falls under the Ministry of Housing, whose job is to develop housing schemes for the government employees.

During the meeting, Senator Bahramand Tangi maintained that common people were being deprived of their rights, adding that Section 4 had been imposed for the last five years and that no progress had been made in both the villages.

Housing Secretary Iftikhar Shallwani noted that they held a meeting with the landowners in Mauza Tama and Moorian, saying “some progress” had been made.

Quoting the housing authorities, he said the owners of the land wanted to increase the rate of their property. He said the price could not be increased after the land is awarded, adding that they were ready to give cheques of Rs3.4 million per kanal to the affectees as this rate had been earlier announced.

The committee directed the authorities concerned to resolve the issues of both villages at the earliest.

The panel also discussed the Kashmir Avenue apartment project during the meeting.

When asked about the progress made on the project, FGEHA DG Tariq Rasheed replied that 16 per cent work on the scheme had been completed.

The committee members pointed out that the project was to be completed in a three-year period till 2023, expressing concern that only 16 per cent work on the project had been done thus far.

The panel sought arbitration of the former contractor working on the project and other details in the next meeting. It also directed that the project should be completed at the earliest.

The body was also told that the commercial land of the state office in Karachi, Saddar area had been leased for Rs3 per month.