The Finance Division has allocated Rs5,915 million for the Ministry of Housing and Works against a demand for Rs9,179 million to meet the requirements of the ministry and attached departments for the current Fiscal Year 2022-23. An official said the Ministry of Housing and Works had demanded an allocation of Rs9,179 million. However, the Finance Division released Rs5.91 billion as per the austerity measures for the current financial year, while the budgetary allocation had already been finalized and approved in June 2022. The official said the Finance Division had already imposed austerity on the budget allocation and reduced it by Rs55.163 million. He said the Finance Division had already slashed the budget while making allocations. Hence, no funds have been surrendered to the Finance Division and all the funds allocated during 2021-22 under relevant heads were utilized by the general section. To a question, he said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the Pak Secretariat Islamabad and therefore, no fund had been spent on the ministry’s renovation. To yet another question, the official said the Pak PWD had started sending notices to the allottees of government accommodation in Sector I-9/4 for payment of electric bills for water motors installed at the residential blocks. He said the Finance Division had allocated funds for payment of utilities in the relevant heads of accounts of the users while the utility bills of the residential accommodation including hostels, rest houses and judicial residences should be paid by the users.