Islamabad February 2, 2016: Standing Committee on Housing and Works met in Islamabad this morning with Ms. Khalid Mansoor, MNA in the chair to discuss actionable points in respect of National Housing Authority (NHA) Performance Audit Report (2003-04) as referred by the Sub-Committee of Public Accounts Committee and other matters pertaining to M/o Housing and Works.

The Committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the performance of National Housing Authority and recommended for either disbanding it or merged in the other departments with similar scope of activities. The Committee was of the view that NHA had failed to achieve the purpose of its establishment. The committee was apprised that the performance audit of the NHA was conducted in 2003-04 wherein several points were raised about its performance. The Sub-Committee of PAC decided to refer the issue to the Standing Committee on Housing and Works after listening to the unsatisfactory justification presented by the M/o Housing and Works.

The Director General (NHA) pleaded that the NHA prepared two low cost housing with  Zakat funds and PM’s Special Development Programme in the year 1987 and the housing units were handed over to the mushteqeen and destitute after their completion. He further informed that the Authority could not further initiate Housing schemes for low income groups due to non-availability of funds; however, it had been providing assistance to the provincial governments in their housing initiatives. The Committee decided to recommend to the PAC for settlement of the Audit observations. The committee further recommended that the government should continue pursuing housing schemes for providing shelter to the low income groups as guaranteed under the constitution and that too in areas having civic amenities.

The Committee expressed its satisfaction on the process of allotment/balloting of Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF) residential flats in Sector I-12, Islamabad. The Committee directed PHAF to ensure quality of construction material and timely competition of the residential units for their handling over to the allottees.

Earlier, the Committee unanimously passed a resolution condemning incident of dacoity at the residence of Chairman Standing Committee on Housing and Works Haji Akram Ansari in Faisalabad calling upon the Federal and Punjab Provincial Government to take action against the culprits. They also sympathized with the Chairman and his family for going through that agony. The Committee also confirmed the minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 22nd December, 2015.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Akram Khan Durrani, Minister for Housing and Works, MNAs Mr. Rajab Ali Khan Baloch, Sahibzada Faiz-ul-Hasan, Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Mr. Nasir Iqbal Bosal, Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir, Mr. Abdul Sattar Bachani, Mr. Faqir Sher Muhammad Bilalani, Mr. Sajid Nawaz, Molana Ameer Zaman, Mr. Adul Rahim Khan Mandokhail, Secretary M/o Housing and Works and senior officers of the concerned departments.