The Pakistan Works Department (PWD), Ministry of Housing and Works (MoH&W) has upgraded and renovated 2,385 houses and flats in various sectors of federal capital during the last five and half years. According to an official of the MoH&W, “The PWD has carried out EM works of as many as 1,365 flats and houses while around 1,012 civil work is executed of different categories.” The ministry has owned as many as 5,253 houses and flats of categories-I to categories-V located in various sectors in Islamabad, he added. The official said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was responsible for the maintenance and renovation of Pak Secretariat, Islamabad, therefore, no fund has been spent on ministry’s renovation. The PWD has started sending notices to the allottees of government accommodation in Sector I-9/4 about payment of electric meter bills for water motors installed at residential blocks, he maintained.

He said the Finance Division had allocated funds for payment of utilities in the relevant heads of accounts of the users while utility bills of the residential accommodation including hostels, rest houses and judicial residences should be paid by the users. To a question, he said the Ministry of Housing and Works has allocated an amount of Rs 5.80 million in the current financial year 2023-2024 for electricity bills of Qasr-e-Naz Lodge, South Zone Karachi due to financial constraints. “Out of the total Rs 5.80 million, only an amount of Rs 0.87 million have been released at the rate of 15 percent in this regard so far,” he added. The official said that the Karachi Electric Supply Company bill was Rs 7.26 million for the month of September, 2023 along with arrears and the electricity connection had been disconnected in June, 2023. As per the statement of K-Electric, he said that the electricity connection would be restored after payment of complete amount along with arrears.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)