ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz on Saturday voiced concern over unnecessary delay, poor construction work and difficulties in completion of government housing projects in federal capital.

Chairing a meeting to review progress in different government housing sectors in Islamabad, he directed the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) and Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) to ensure completion of all codal formalities of Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The meeting was attended by CDA Chairman Amir Ali Ahmed, PHA Managing Director (MD) MTariq Rasheed, FGEHA Director General (DG) Waseem Hayat Bajwa, National Police Foundation director general and other senior officials of the departments.

As a large number of government servants and residents of federal capital, who have quota in FGEHA, have been suffering, the Ombudsman directed FGEHA to constitute committees of allottees in all government sectors to remove construction and maintenance issues and their complaints.

He also directed CDA, PHA and FGEHA to provide hospital facilities in new sectors.

He further directed the CDA chairman to hand over possession of plots to their allottees in Park Enclave-I and II at the earliest.

The Ombudsman directed all these departments to ensure standardised construction work and development facilities in government-owned housing projects.

According to a statement, the PHA MD Tariq Rasheed informed the meeting that out of 588 flats in Kuri Road project, 272 had been handed over to its allottees, while 60pc work has been completed in the rest of the apartments which would be completed by Sept 15 and they would be handed over to their allottees in October.

He said that necessary NOCs from all departments concerned had been obtained for all PHA housing projects.

The meeting was informed that a number of complaints against PHA with regard to quality of construction were pending.

The ombudsman directed the PHA MD to follow quality standards in construction work.

The PHA MD assured the ombudsman they would hand over apartments to the allottees after they expressed complete satisfaction over construction standards.

CDA Chairman Amir Ali Ahmed informed the meeting that access road to PHA apartments has been given through Park Enclave Project.

The PHA MD further informed the meeting that 58pc construction work has been completed of 3,200 multi storey apartments in Sector I-12 and1,584 apartments in I-16/3 would be handed over to the allottees by March next year.

The FGEHA DG informed the meeting that 90pc encroachments in Sector G-13 and 14 had been cleared and allotments of pending plots would be cleared in eight months. The Ombudsman directed them to clear all encroachments and allot pending plots within six months.

The FGEHA DG informed that mutation process of Green Enclave-I and II at Bara Kahu has been completed and development work is on its fast track.

He said that development work in Green Enclave-I would be completed by April 2023.

He also said that 6,000 more plots had been created in Green Enclave-II sector and its layout as well as engineering plans have been approved.

The CDA Chairman Amir Ali Ahmed informed the federal ombudsman that issues of NOC and other approvals have been settled by removing most of the irritants in government housing sectors.

He said possession of plots in Park Enclave-I and II schemes would be handed over at the earliest.

He said a major project for provision of water to Islamabad from Ghazi Brotha is underway.

He also stated that under the direction of Federal Ombudsman, maintenance work in F-9 and other Parks of Islamabad was in process.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2020