Zubair Qureshi
Residents of the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) Foundation’s housing society in Sector G-10/2 have staged a protest demonstration outside the PHA Foundation’s head office at Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat against the monopoly and bullying tactics of a non-representative body of the PHA Foundation’s Welfare Association.
The association’s elections are due for the last couple of years, yet the ex-President of the association along with his men has literally taken over the affairs of the society and continues to rule the roost. Recently he has raised Rs1,000 in already exorbitant maintenance charges of Rs2500. Now the total amount collected from each resident of more than 400 flats is Rs3,500 and when some of the allottees protested against that illegal and unjust collection of money, they were bullied in different ways. Their water connections are severed or they are threatened through different means.
In this way, collectively, Rs1.3 million to Rs1.4 million are collected every month in water and maintenance charges and all this money is being charged from the allottees which they say was quite illegal and unjust.
One of the allottees, while talking to Pakistan Observer said the defunct PHA Welfare Association claims to be the representative body of the allottees which however is not true. They have been collecting money for the last five years and no one knows how much money goes in maintenance charges and how much money goes in their pockets.
We have requested an audit of the charges several times but the former president and his group turned down our requests.
“There is no one to question their authority,” said another aggrieved resident adding such bullying is taking place right in the middle of the federal capital but the Foundation it seems has turned a deaf ear to their complaints/protests. The non-representative group has even announced elections of the association without the approval of the Foundation, he said.
The PHA Foundation, Ministry of Housing & Works had issued a letter reprimanding the former president of the association Malik Azhar Mehmood for announcing elections without consulting the Foundation. “You were clearly directed to immediately stop the election process till the scrutiny and finalization of TORs and nomination of focal person by PHA Foundation, however, you have not adhered to the directions of the PHAF, hence the said election process is not acceptable and rejected. Furthermore, you are not authorized to collect any funds/amount from the allottees on account of maintenance charges. The powers to issue NOC for transfer cases are withdrawn with immediate effect,” it said. But the Foundation’s lackluster approach seems to further encourage Malik Azhar and his former cabinet and they have refused to hold elections. While talking to Pakistan Observer Azhar Mehmood said a group of ‘vested interests’ was spreading propaganda against him and former cabinet. “We have increased the charges but they are still very low as compared to the facilities being provided to the residents,” he insisted.
Rather, I am thinking of raising the charges further to Rs,5000/- per month, said Malik Azhar. About the audit of the funds, he said everything was there in black and white. However, about elections he said either they would be held in September next month or in September next year. In order to get the official response of the PHA Foundation, Pakistan Observer contacted a senior official but he did not take the call. A message was also dropped on his cell phone but to no effect.
