Bhara Kahu Housing Scheme: NAB directed to share details of findings

Expressing dismay over poor performance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in probe of cases involving corrupt builders mafia, a parliamentary panel on Monday directed the top anti-graft body to share details of its findings about controversial Bhara Kahu Housing Scheme in next meeting.
The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, which met here with Maulana Tanvirul Haq Thanvi in the chair, said the anti-graft body should apprise the panel what action it has taken so far in light of its inquiry into the Bhara Kahu Housing Scheme. The meeting was informed that NAB had initiated an inquiry at its own against Bhara Kahu Housing Scheme - a project of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) - but the Foundation deposited Rs 680 million cheque as surety with the bureau to continue the development work.
The FGEF officials said that despite all this, NAB has failed to reach any conclusion. This prompted Chaudhary Tanveer, a member of the committee, to summon NAB officials in the next meeting. The performance of FGEHF came under severe criticism after Senator Khalida Perveen pointed out that projects initiated by the Foundation are yet to be completed which shows how efficiently it is taking its job. The director general FGEHF had nothing solid to calm down the enraged senators who seemed quite dissatisfied with the performance of the Foundation.
He said that the Foundation is doing a wonderful job, as it has hired best consultants while negotiations are also under way to resolve the issues between his organisation and the landowners. The DG also recalled the glorious past of his Foundation, which has been in real estate business since 1989 and, according to him, has built numerous housing units for the poor, the government servants, and so on so forth.
A member of the committee who wished not to be named told Business Recorder, "What the housing minister has been doing in the real estate business is not privy to us all, but in these kinds of meeting we are befooled through the rhetoric of 'all is well.'"
He continued that there is not a single housing society where officials of the concerned ministry give even a slight importance to transparency, adding officials of housing ministry, especially all the top notch, should face a ruthless accountability. "The need of the hour is that a thorough probe should be initiated against the ministry officials right from the minister to a section officer...but the problem is who will take the lead in exposing the corrupt," he questioned.