ISLAMABAD: The Senate Housing Committee has decided to summon the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to provide a personal briefing at the next meeting on all pending investigations, inquiries, irregularities, stalled projects, and legal clearances associated with the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) joint venture schemes.
The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works met on Wednesday under the Chairmanship of Senator Nasir Mehmood to conduct a comprehensive oversight review of major ongoing public housing projects, joint ventures, and civil infrastructure directives across Islamabad, as well as some projects in Quetta.
Expressing profound concern over long-standing structural, legal, and administrative bottlenecks that have stalled key development initiatives for years, the Committee reiterated its firm commitment to safeguarding the financial interests and legal rights of public sector allottees.
During the deliberations, the Secretary for Housing and Works presented a detailed briefing on the status of various housing schemes managed by the FGEHA and the PHA Foundation (PHAF).
The panel decided to call the NAB Chairman’s briefing on Barakahu and Sky Garden Schemes in the next meeting. Reviewing the Green Enclave-I project in Barakahu, Islamabad, where land acquisition commenced as far back as 2009, covering 3,375 kanals. The committee observed with grave concern that despite the signing of a construction agreement in 2019, physical work remains suspended due to ongoing disputes regarding contractual modes, work execution percentages, and performance security revisions.
Members of the committee highlighted that aggrieved allottees have been making payments since 2008 without receiving physical possession of their plots. Although the Housing Secretary indicated that development work could resume following formal Board approval once contractual disputes are resolved, the Committee expressed deep dissatisfaction with the persistent delays.
The Committee also conducted an in-depth review of the Sky Garden Housing Scheme (Green Enclave-II), involving 7,300 kanals in Mauza Kathar and Mauza Mangal, where over 2,455 consent notices have been issued and over Rs4.21 billion collected from members across various categories.
To ensure seamless administrative alignment and clear procedural bottlenecks, the Committee decided to call the Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi for a comprehensive briefing at the upcoming meeting to reach a definitive conclusion.
Examining the status of the EHFPRO Lifestyle Residency Apartments in Sector G-13, Islamabad, the Committee noted that while approximately 70 percent of physical work on the 10-acre site was completed, progress suffered severe disruption due to post-COVID-19 market escalation, financial constraints, and the subsequent demise of the private contractor. Following the formal termination of the joint venture agreement due to persistent violations, FGEHA has taken over the project and is actively pursuing its revival through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework utilising commercial inventory to prevent additional financial burdens on allottees. With the PC-I approved by the Development Working Party and the Expression of Interest (EOI) process currently underway, the Committee directed the Ministry to maintain continuous, step-by-step reporting to the Senate body throughout the selection and execution phases.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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