ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Monday directed the Ministry of Housing and Works to expedite efforts for getting early possession of its property the Constantia Estate in Murree.

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works met with Senator Nasir Mehmood in the chair to review encroachments, litigation and progress on work in various sectors of the housing ministry.

The property in question is located at Kashmir Point in Murree. The pre-partition building spreads over 25 kanals prime land. After partition, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) took over the building.

In the late `50s, it was handed over to the Brazilian embassy.

In 1999, the building was vacated by the Brazilian embassy after which it was given to the ministry of housing.

However, the caretakers of the building refused to vacate it, stating that they and theirforefathers had been living there forover 100 years. When the ministry tried to get possession of the property, they filed a case in the court.

Discussing the issue, the commissioner of Rawalpindi Division briefed the committee on the latest developments regarding the building, adding that despite efforts for cooperation the Public Works Department (PWD) officials had been unresponsive.

The deputy commissioner of Murree clarified that while the administration had sent reports and letters to PWD, their role was limited to facilitation and illegal encroachments were creating law and order challenges.

He noted that the police support had its limits and while the administration had no objections the responsibility for further action lay with PWD.

PWD officials, however, refuted these claims, asserting that the issue stemmed from encroachments and court orders, and that the administration had failed to provide necessary support.

The committee reviewed the correspondence between thedeputy commissioner and the PWD officials.

The commissioner of Rawalpindi recommended securing possession of the remaining property, stressing that delays could result in losing control over the prime land in coming months.

The administration assured the committee that despite ongoing litigation and a status quo order, they were committed to proceeding on the matter.

The chairman of the committee instructed the ministry of housing to receive updates on the legal team involved as well as to establish clear timelines to expedite the process.

Meanwhile, the committee was briefed by senior officials from CDA on the latest building codes, its implementation mechanism, monitoring framework and safety requirements.

Senator Nasir Mehmood inquired about fire safety in government buildings, emphasising the need for enhanced emergency preparedness, including fire extinguishing measures. He also sought details on the issuance of NOCs for ele-vators and emergency exits, recommending that the matter be resolved within six months with a progress report to be presented at the next meeting.

In addition, the committee was briefed on the strategy for addressing illegal constructions in F-12 and G-12 and other lands developed for housing schemes in Islamabad.

In response to Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan`s inquiry about illegal land acquisition in these sectors, the committee unanimously recommended that a detailed report be presented within two weeks.

A further briefing was provided on the current water situation in Islamabad. Officials reported that 95pc of the water supply was allocated to urban areas with only 10-15pc directed to rural areas. The committee was informed that efforts were underway to increase the water supply by the monsoon season.

It was noted that 60 million gallons of water was currently being supplied to Islamabad.

The committee also received an update on the status of dams and tubewells with assurancesthat improvements to water filtration plants would be completed within two to three weeks. It was reported that the filtration plants in G-13 and G-14 would be operational within two months.

CDA officials told the committee that discussions had begun with the World Bank and IMF for securing funding for future projects with a focus now on obtaining financial support after completing the planning phase.

The additional director general of FIA briefed committee on ongoing inquiries against employees. The breakdown by departments included 264 inquiries in PWD, 33 in Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA), 25 in the Estate Office, 13 in PHA-F and two in Nespak and the Ministry of Housing and Works.

In response to the chairman`s inquiry about the 33 inquiries registered in FGEHA, it was reported that most of them were frivolous and related to minor administrative issues rather than financial irregularities.