ISLAMABAD:
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) ordered on Thursday the housing ministry to ensure that bureaucrats vacated official residences if they owned personal homes, and paid rent if they occupied more than one official residence.
Audit officials had earlier informed the PAC – the most powerful committee of parliament, chaired by Nadeen Afzal Chan – that several government officials had rented out their personal homes, while occupying official residences. They added that some of them had even rented out their homes to the government. The PAC asked the Auditor General of Pakistan’s office to seek help from the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to catch such bureaucrats.
The PAC also directed Housing Secretary Kamran Lashari to recover house rents from bureaucrats occupying more than one official residence and produce a list of such officials within 48 hours, so it could be made public.
Each grade-22 bureaucrat is entitled to two 600 square yard plots in posh locations, for which the government exchequer doles out Rs 1 billion every year.
This is discrimination against other citizens of the country and a violation of article 25 of the Constitution, said committee chair Afzal Chan.
Lashari, however, insisted that the cost of each plot was only Rs10 million, which the PAC rejected and agreed that cost of each plot was Rs30 million to Rs40 million apiece.
“If the price tag is Rs10 million then I am ready to buy all these plots,” said Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Noor Alam Khan, the richest parliamentarian.
Earlier, the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) director gave a presentation on how the policy of allotting plots originated. He told the PAC that on June 20, 2006, the Establishment Division initiated the policy of an additional plot, which was approved by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz without approval of the Cabinet. He said over the subsequent years, changes in rules allowed grade 22 officers to sell the plots instead of constructing houses.
Meanwhile, former secretary Moeenul Islam sent a letter to the PAC clarifying that the incumbent housing secretary cancelled his plot allotment, after which the plot was allotted to him (Lashari).
However, Lashari contended that Islam’s plot was cancelled as he belonged to the ex-cadre group. The PAC noted that the list of 204 bureaucrats included ex-cadre bureaucrats and ordered the Ministry of Housing to present a list of ex-cadre officials who received plots.
The PAC has taken the responsibility to bring an end to what it called “plot politics” in bureaucracy. In the first phase it made public a list of 204 bureaucrats who obtained one or more plots.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
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All govt lands in fact belong to the people of Pakistan. How can pieces of this land (plots) be given FREE to any one whether he is bureaucrat, judge, journalist, armed forces personnel? Just wrong wrong wrong. Moreover no advanced country in the West provide residences to civil servants or even members of any assembly. Only armed forces are provided residences. Poor country like Pakistan should discontinue this practice.
Where is the list?
Credit should be given to the PAC for at least trying.
If a judge of the supreme court occupies more than one official residences ie one in Islamabad and other in Quetta. Is it contempt of court if some one brings this information to public. Please comment.