Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday directed the Ministry of Housing to submit a comprehensive plan to provide quality low-cost housing to the government servants at the earliest.
Chairing a meeting here at the Prime Minister Office, he directed to meet the housing needs of federal government employees and come up with a plan in the next meeting.
Minister for Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani and senior officials of the ministry briefed the prime minister on performance of the ministry during the last four years and various projects being executed, including PHA Foundation, for the federal government employees and lower income groups.
The prime minister was also briefed on the prime minister’s low cost “Apna Ghar Housing Scheme” for lower and medium income groups across the country. It was informed that Inter-Ministerial Committee has completed its recommendations for the scheme.
The prime minister directed to expedite the process and submit the recommendations of the committee to proceed further in the matter. He was also briefed on Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation membership drive to provide residential plots to government servants in different categories at subsidized rates.
He directed to ensure that merit was adhered to while allocation of residential plots and maximum affordable rates should be offered to government servants in this regard. The housing ministry needed to be innovative and apply modern standards with changing times without compromising quality and affordability while acquiring and developing land, designing and construction, the prime minister said.
While on Thursday, the National Assembly was informed that a summary had been sent to the prime minister seeking approval for construction of new housing units for government employees.
“As soon as the Ministry of Housing and Works gets the approval, the construction will be started to meet the official accommodation shortage facilities, as not a single housing unit has been constructed for the last 22 years for allotment to serving employees,” Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Works Syed Sajid Mehdi said during question-answer session of the House.
Answering a supplementary question of Dr Nafeesa Shah, he said currently there was the shortage of around 20,000 housing units for allotment to government employees, clarifying that no allotment was made in violation of the General Waiting List (GWL).
“The residence, which is vacated by its occupant on any employee’s retirement or any other reason, is immediately allotted to the employee in waiting as per the GWL,” Mehdi said.
He said the allotments were made on merit on the maturity of turn of federal government servants on GWL in pursuance to Supreme Court directives.
Replying to a question, the parliamentary secretary admitted that a number of employees did not vacate their official residences and got engaged in litigation to prolong their stay. He said a six-month time was given to each employee after the retirement to vacate official residence, adding that the ministry had its own “force” to retrieve government houses from illegal occupants.