KP CS orders probe into complaints about Jalozai housing project

PESHAWAR: Chief Secretary Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa Dr Kazim Niaz on Friday ordered a high- level inquiry into the allegations and complaints against the provincial housing department for selecting a bank for the mega housing project in Jalozai.

The chief secretary had already extended the deadline for submission of the application forms for the project as the majority of the applicants complained against the slow process of work at the bank.

A two-member commission with Abid Majeed, a senior civil servant serving as secretary to the government, as chairman and special secretary of the finance department Ayaz Khan as member has been constituted with very elaborate terms of reference (TORs). The committee has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.

The provincial government has launched a mega residential project in Jalozai. The housing department gave the contract for forms submission and down payment to Habib Metro Bank. Some of the complainants accused the housing department of choosing a bank that has limited branches in Peshawar.

Hundreds of applicants after standing in queues for hours to submit their application forms for the government-run housing project had hopelessly returned home when the local administration closed the process after accusing the bank management of violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Covid-19 pandemic on Wednesday.

Senior government officials told The News that the minister of housing, Dr Amjad Ali Khan was not taken on board by his department while choosing the bank and signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collect application forms and money for the project.

Though Jalozai is located at some distance from Peshawar, it was after a long time the government launched a residential project that attracted a large number of people who thronged all branches of the bank to submit application forms. Also, the bank had ran out of application forms in three days.

The provincial housing department had set April 30 as the last date for form submission, ignoring the failures as well as shortcomings of the bank to address genuine issues related to the process. As women were exempted of waiting in queues, each one would bring 10-15 application forms and charge each applicant for Rs500.