G-14 housing scheme: A story of endless suffering
PLOTS in G-14 housing scheme were allotted to government servants and others in 2004.
In case of government servants, they were alloted to those who were on the verge of retirement.
The allottees have paid all the dues in respect of cost of land, compensation for built-up properties and development charges.
Despite receiving all the dues, the Housing Authority has failed to proceed with the development of the scheme for unexplained reasons.
The Housing Authority allowed massive encroachment of the G-14 land and made virtually no effort to prevent its illegal occupation by the land grabbers. The process of illegal occupation continued unabated for more than a decade.
The encroachers thereafter made a bid to get themselves included in the list of original settlers to qualify for compensation.
However, following a writ in Islamabad High Court the case was heard extensively and after due deliberations and examining the facts the Court in its judgement in 2013 decided all the issues, especially segregations of genuine settlers from encroachers with the help of Google map.
For the purpose the HC had constituted a Commission headed by a judge. Despite passage of seven years since the HC judgement, the Housing Authority has failed to implement the HC’s directives.
The partially-cleared sub-sectors G-14/3 and G-14/2 are without any civic facilities, therefore, not fit as yet for undertaking construction works.
G-14/1 is still under illegal occupation. The inaction of the Authority despite IHC’s verdict is beyond comprehension and is helping the illegal occupants in manipulating the situation in their favour. 17 years have lapsed but the Authority is still proceeding at a snail’s pace.
The highly unsatisfactory pace of land clearance and development work requires urgent review of the performance of the construction agency engaged for undertaking the development work.
Under the circumstances, the Housing Authority should immediately hire the services of FWO for completion of the remaining work.
From the foregoing it is apparent that FGHA has totally failed to discharge its official obligations and has frustrated the objective for which the scheme was floated by the government for the government servants approaching retirement.
Owing to this cruel delay many allottees have died after waiting for too long to build a shelter of their own.
It is astonishing to see that the Housing Authority is still not prepared to give a time-line for handing over developed plots to the surviving allottees. The Housing Authority has no arrangement at the office for entertaining queries and informing allottees of the status of the project.
The Housing Authority has created a human right situation as such it requires urgent intervention of Parliamentary Committee on Housing and other relevant agencies for ensuring delivery of developed plots to the allottees without further delay.
In view of the situation, the allottees demand the following:
The services of FWO be engaged immediately for undertaking development work of the entire sector.
The remaining land in sub-sectors G-14/3 and G-14/2 be cleared of built-up properties within a month.
Compensation to the legal beneficiaries be arranged for entire G-14 sector without further delay.
The sub-sector G-14/1 be cleared of illegal occupants in terms of IHC’s judgement of 2013 expeditiously.
The FGEHA should announce a definite time-line for handing over developed plots to the allottees.
The honourable NA Speaker is requested to appoint a Special Committee of honourable members of the Assembly to which the Housing Authority should submit a periodic implementation report in respect of G-14 sector.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
