Senate committee reviews Pak PWD employee issues and delayed projects

Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood, met at Parliament Lodges, to review issues relating to former Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) employees, delayed development projects, and other matters concerning the Ministry of Housing and Works

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jul, 2026) Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood, met at Parliament Lodges, to review issues relating to former Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) employees, delayed development projects, and other matters concerning the Ministry of Housing and Works.

Reviewing the status of former Pak PWD employees adjusted in various ministries and departments, the Committee expressed serious concern over delays in the payment of salaries and arrears by the respective ministries and departments, despite their adjustment.

Officials informed the Committee that a total of 20,024 former Pak PWD employees had been adjusted in various ministries and departments. Of these, salaries of 3,094 employees had been released, while cases of around 30 employees were still pending, including 14 employees in the Ministry of Planning, 9 employees in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the remaining in other departments.

Chairman Senator Nasir Mehmood directed the officials not to mislead the Committee with repeated assurances and stressed that commitments made before the Committee must be honoured through practical implementation.

Officials informed the Committee that employees were affected by the closure of department and that the majority had been adjusted in various ministries and departments. However, several employees are still awaiting payment of salaries and arrears.

Officials from the Ministry of Finance informed the Committee that following the revised funding mechanism introduced from 1 July 2025, letters had been issued to the relevant ministries and departments for clearance of outstanding salary arrears., However, employees informed the Committee that while they had been adjusted in different ministries, several departments had neither released their salaries nor cleared their outstanding dues.

The Committee directed all concerned ministries and departments to ensure immediate payment of salaries and arrears to adjusted employees and remove unnecessary delays in processing their cases.

During the meeting, Senator Naseema Ehsan highlighted the difficulties being faced by widows and families of deceased employees and urged the concerned authorities to resolve their cases on priority. The Committee unanimously recommended that all outstanding arrears of adjusted employees be cleared at the earliest.

The Committee then reviewed the status of the Green Enclave-I Housing Project, expressing serious concern over prolonged delays, cost escalation, and the continued hardship faced by allottees.

Officials of FGEHA informed the Committee that the project had suffered delays due to litigation, NAB inquiries, land-related disputes, bank guarantee issues, the impact of COVID-19 on construction costs, and subsequent contractual complications.

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They informed the Committee that work on the project had resumed and that several pending issues would be placed before the Authority's Board for final decisions.

Chairman Senator Nasir Mehmood questioned the prolonged continuation of contractual arrangements despite years of delay and observed that thousands of citizens, particularly retired government employees, had invested in the project in good faith and deserved timely delivery.

The Committee directed that Contractor Dr. Hafeez Abbasi be summoned in the next meeting to explain the delays and stressed that all stakeholders must cooperate to ensure early completion of the project.

The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, informed the Committee that the Ministry had initiated reforms to resolve longstanding issues in housing projects and had placed restrictions on launching new schemes until ongoing projects are completed.

The Committee also reviewed the replacement and repair of lifts at the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat. Members expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work and directed the concerned authorities to complete the project within the committed timeframe. The Committee decided to conduct an on-site visit to monitor progress after a month.

The Committee also reviewed the progress of the Model Jail project. Members were informed by the CDA Chairman that the first phase of the project had been approved and was nearing completion, while the proposal for Phase-II, which includes dedicated facilities for women, had already been submitted. Officials expressed the hope that the remaining work would be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

During the discussion, the Committee expressed concern over delays in the implementation of the project. The Chairman directed the concerned authorities to expedite the pace of work and announced that the Committee would undertake a visit on 22 August to review the project's progress on-site.

The Committee also reviewed the performance of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA). The Chairman observed that none of the Authority's projects had been completed within the prescribed timeline and stressed that ongoing projects should be completed before launching new ones. The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, informed the Committee that a ban had been imposed on initiating new projects until the existing schemes are completed.

Concluding the meeting, Chairman Senator Nasir Mehmood directed all relevant ministries and departments to implement the Committee's recommendations without delay and present a comprehensive progress report in the next meeting.