NAB owes Rs480m to housing ministry in rent since March 2021, NA panel told

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ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was informed on Tuesday that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had not paid Rs 480 million for the use of Federal Lodge, Wafaki Colony, Dhana Singhwala, Lahore, from March 2021, and Rs 480 million was not yet paid for the use of Lahore.

“The Punjab Police has illegally resided in Wafaki Colony, Lahore, from 1990, and has never paid a penny in exchange for using these houses.”

The Senate panel meeting was chaired by Senator Nasir Mahmood, Chairman Senator Nasir Mahmood, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA), identified the reasons for delay in the projects, and without rental approval.

Senator Mahmood praised the input of all the members of the committee, which residues about the illegally occupied residence holidays and through this the Punjab Police was worked in the Wafaki Colony.

Punjab Police submitted a compliance report on the instructions approved by the committee, stating that Punjab Police paid Rs 1.6 million till 2024 and assured the committee that the remaining fare would be paid in the next financial year.

The Senate Committee was also briefed on the use of a residential ministry building in the Federal Lodge, Wafaki Colony in Lahore, on the use of a residential ministry building from March 2021.

It has been revealed that the ministry has not yet been paid a total of Rs 480 million, and the building has not yet been vacated. It was reported that the decision on the matter was pending from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The committee found that no agreement was signed between the two departments.

The chairman expressed his resentment over the negligence of the Ministry of Housing in this regard.

Senator Saifullah Awar urged the concerned departments to discourage such methods and maintain clear documents when signing agreements.

The chairman directed the two departments to settle the matter within a month, and warned that if they failed to implement the committee’s decision, the officers involved in the negligence would be demanded and punished.

In a briefing on the progress of the construction of Islamabad jail, the Chairman CDA said that the project was handed over by the Public Works (PWD) to the CDA, which will cost Rs 7.4 billion on July 26, 2024.

He said that in Phase I, the construction of the Admin Block and Boundary Wall was completed by 98 %, and roads and infrastructure are up to 75 %, adding that the delays in financing with the Ministry of Planning and Development led to the delay of the project.

The committee expressed concern over the delay in the distribution of funds by the Finance Ministry and other relevant authorities and directed that the Ministry of Planning and Development and Finance be summoned to shorten the committee for the delay in issuing funds to the Interior Ministry for CDA projects.

At the request of the Chairman CDA, the chairman recommended hiring human resources needed to run the jail.

On the issue of lifts in the Shaheed Multi Building, the Chairman CDA said that only one of the five lifts was running. Another elevator was repaired, but three were not yet working.

However, he added that the CDA has immediately issued a tender notice of Rs 1220 million to repair the three lifts.

The committee was told that in Shaheed Multi Building and other government offices, some lifts were specifically specific to VIP/senior officers, and that public or public employees were not allowed to use them.

The committee took serious notice of this VIP culture in government buildings and directed the CDA to eliminate such methods and ensure that all lifts are accessible to the common people.

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, informed federal employees to the committee on the list of committee for government housing allotment.