Devise strategy for houses transparent allotment: minister

LAHORE:A meeting of the Standing Committee on Law was held at the Civil Secretariat under the chairmanship of Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Raja Basharat on Friday. Provincial Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun and concerned officers were also present on the occasion.

The new proposed policy of allotment of houses and ownership rights in the labour colonies of Workers Welfare Board was reviewed during the meeting. Secretary Labour Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi gave a briefing on various aspects of the new allotment policy. The briefing said that under the new policy, workers who would get a house in Labour Colony would be able to get property rights by paying the price fixed by the competent committee, while 95% of the houses would be allocated to registered workers, 3% for their widows and 2% for the workers with disability. The Law Minister directed that the mechanism of allotment of houses in labour colonies should be made transparent and conditions should be tightened to prevent further sale or misuse of allotted houses. He said that all basic facilities to be provided in labour colonies.

Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun said that it should be ensured through modern technology that a worker who already owned a plot or a house should not be allotted a house in any Labour Colony. The Cabinet Committee approved the department's suggestion that if a house is not available in the home district for a widow of the deceased labourer, then a house available in any district in Punjab could be allotted.

Meanwhile, Raja Basharat, commenting on the law and order situation on Friday, said that the overall law and order situation in the province remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported anywhere.

In a statement on Friday, the law minister said that the gatherings of first Juma prayers of Ramazan ended in a very smooth manner. He said the law enforcement agencies including police performed well in maintaining law and order.

He also vowed that the Punjab government would take all possible steps to protect the lives and property of the people and no one would be allowed to disturb law and order in the province.