NA Committee Urges PM to Reconsider Pak-PWD Closure
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Works unanimously agreed to request the Prime Minister to review and reconsider the decision to close the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD). The Standing Committee on Housing and Works met in the Committee Room of the Ministry of Housing & Works, B-Block, Pak-Secretariat, Islamabad, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, under the chairmanship of Moulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, MNA.
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The Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Works, briefed the Committee on budgetary proposals for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2024-25. He informed that the Ministry of Housing & Works oversees 162 PSDP projects with a total cost of Rs. 100.706 billion. As of June 2024, the Ministry spent Rs. 48.463 billion through Pak PWD. However, due to the winding up of Pak PWD, these projects were transferred to provincial departments, CDA, and PIDCL. Moreover, the transfer of funds to these agencies has yet to materialize due to the non-opening of assignment accounts by CDA and PIDCL.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Works expressed grave concern regarding the closure of the Pak PWD. This decision will affect not only employees of the department, but it may also have serious consequences for the delivery of key public services infrastructure projects. The Committee unanimously agreed to request the Prime Minister to review and reconsider the decision to close the Pak PWD. The Committee recommends that finances should be made available to all ongoing development projects, whether under the PSDP or SAP schemes, and be completed on priority basis. Because these projects are crucial for the progress of national infrastructure, halting them could result in significant loss of money and resources.
The DG, FGEHA also provided an update regarding the allotment of plots to journalists. The DG informed that plots are being allotted to journalists based on recommendations received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The DG also informed that the allotments in Sectors F-14/15 are scheduled to be completed within the next two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Honourable Members Mr. Anjum Aqeel Khan, Mr. Anwar Ul Haq Chaudhry, Syed Sami Ul Hassan Gilani, Ms. Seema Mohi-ud-Din Jamili, Mr. Nelson Azeem, Dr. Darshan, Mr. Hassaan Sabir (online via zoom), Mr. Usman Ali, Mr. Mehboob Shah, Mr. Zubair Khan Wazir, Mr. Muhammad Shabir Ali Qureshi, Minister for Housing & Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, and senior officers including Secretary from the Ministry of Housing and Works and its attached departments.
