ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsman had directed the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) to cancel the allotment of plots to the employees who recently retired from their service,in sector F-14/15.
The Ombudsman also directed the foundation to aware the public about the decision through the media and uploading the decision on its official website.
The decision was taken in a case filed by the seven complainants including civil servants and a Ambassador claiming discrimination in allotment process of plots in Bharakau Phase II in sector F-14/15.
In its decision, the Federal Ombudsman also directed the Ministry of Housing and Works to take legal action against the employees who have been involved in msimanagment and violation of seniority rules in the above process.
During the course of proceeding, it was informed to the Federal Ombudsman that housing foundation had introduced a scheme with name of Phase II in sector F-14/15 in April 2015 in which the government employees were advised to register themselves in this scheme. The foundation would allot the plots in accordance of seniority basis.
Registration fees for the above scheme was set as Rs. 50,000 and 100,000 accordingly.
Following the instructions, a large number of employees including who never get a plot from housing foundation had registered themselves in the scheme and the department had collected more than Rs. four billion rupees in this connection.
The foundation had already collected billions of rupees in line of Bharakau Housing Scheme.
The foundation repeatedly claimed that the plots would be allotted on seniority basis and merit would be ensured in the whole process.
The department several time extended the registration date with an aim to collect more money.
During the proceeding, the foundation adopted the stance that issuance of allotment letters to retired employees was done on the recommendation of a sub-committee of the foundation.
Setting aside the principal of allotment on seniority basis, the sub-committee divided retired government employees in two categories.
In one list, employees retired from 1953 were made entitled and others who retired during 1949 to 1952 were deprived from the right.
The federal ombudsman rejected the plea of foundation and directed it to adopt the principal on basis of seniority, which was also claimed in the advertisements and the old employees had made registration on this basis.
The recommendations of sub-committee was reflecting that it had attempted to award the plots to some its blue eyed persons and the property dealers mafia had also supported the foundation in this regard.
It was also revealed during the hearing that the dealers mafia had been found engaged in selling allotment letters of foundation openly in the market.
The government employees had the stance that the PHA and FGEHF had become the corruption hub and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should take action against the corrupt elements in the department.
It may be mention here that despite of the orders of federal ombudsman for withdrawal of allotment letters and publishing in print media through advertisement in press and uploading it on website, the foundation was still receiving the payments from allottees and no aforementioned steps were taken by the department even after the five days of verdict.
The foundation had also not started a process to refund the huge amounts paid by the old employees in this regard.
