Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The housing ministry has started the job of eviction of illegal occupants from official residences and the new estate officer has got 100 houses vacated in a month.

The new Estate Officer, Ubaid, has transferred the staff holding the seats in different categories for the last several years and he has entrusted them the job of conducting a survey. He has transferred the staff of category A to B and B to C and C to D and this way the door to corruption has been shut on the corrupt elements.

According to information, the staff members of category A had filed their elementary report with the Estate Officer. In the report it is laid down that over 100 houses had been vacated which were in the possession of illegal occupants for the last several years and they had occupied them in connivance with the corrupt staff of the estate office. The corrupt elements of the estate office were greasing their palms with taking bribe running into millions of rupees Estate office sources told Daily Times there were several hundred homes in category B and C which have been illegally occupied. Earlier these residences were not recovered from the illegal occupants because the corrupt staff was siding with the occupants.

Later the corrupt staff was transferred and this way the avenue to corruption was plugged. This was the first experience which proved to be a good experience.

Estate office sources said the job of vacating the houses had come to a standstill due to the inflow of favourable letters and recommendations from ministers, senators, MNAs and MPAs and the ministry of housing, in support of the illegal occupants.

When contacted Estate Officer Ubaid told Daily Times that in the first phase hundreds of residences had been vacated. This work was moving ahead slowly and gradually. The residences of different categories will soon be vacated and a final report to this effect will be presented to the ministry.