Islamabad: Residents of Gulshan-e-Jinnah Complex protest against ‘new’ allotment rule

[Naveed Yaseen]

Saadia Khalid
The residents of Gulshan-e-Jinnah Complex held a protest demonstration on Sunday against the new allotment rule according to which the residents for the first time would get allotment for six months and then they have to renew it after every three months.

The residents of the complex, who are living their for years, received a notification on Saturday by the Ministry of Housing and Works informing them about new rule which created panic among them.

The protesters including men, women and children raised slogans against the Ministry of Housing which sent, according to them, an ‘illegal’ notification.

The charged protestors were of the view that the government were trying to create a new lot of IDPs within the capital city. They said that there was no point in bringing the new rule, which is against the law of the state.

The protestors claimed that they see something fishy in the new rule, as they could not understand the logic behind it. “What would we do if the concerned authorities refuse to renew the allotment after three months,” said one of the residents.

The protestors said that the new rule seemed a plan to dislocate the residents of the complex while according to the law it could only be done in case of retirement. They alleged that the new rule by the ministry was just levelling its ground for grabbing money.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan reached on the spot and assured the residents that he would personally discuss the matter with the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. According to the minister, no amendments in the allotment rule could be done without the approval of Cabinet. “It is against the allotment rule and seems that it has been formulated by some section officer without consulting the law,” he maintained.

Babar Awan said that the country was already facing unrest due to terrorism and such hasty and immature decisions were further agitating the people. “The new rule has to be revised as it is illegal and made against the law of state,” he said.

The new rule would affect not only 300 families of Gulshan-e-Jinnah Complex but also 150 families residing in Federal Lodges.

When contacted, Ministry of Housing and Works Secretary Maula Bakhsh Lehri told ‘The News’ that the flats in Gulshan-e-Jinnah Complex were meant to be allotted for three months. “It is not the new rule but it was decided at the time when they were allotted to the government officers,” he said.

He said that the ministry was not dislocating the residents but just formulating a proper system in order to discourage the subletting of the flats. “Many of the people residing in the flats are not paying the rent while a considerable number of officers are subletting it,” he said.

He said that the complex was made to provide residence to the government employees on temporary basis and initially it was allotted for daily basis. “Only the permanent accommodation could not be renewed according to the law but as far as the temporary accommodation is concerned, it has to renew after sometime,” he said.

However, the residents vowed to continue their protest until the government withdraws it decision.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=208808