By IANS,
Islamabad : The Pakistani government plans to ask its employees occupying 28,000 official residences across the country to vacate so that they can be used for commercial purposes.
The government employees will then be given house rent.
According to an estimate, the house rent would cost the government between Rs.35 billion and Rs.40 billion, but the commercial use of the 28,000 houses is expected to earn it much more.
“The plan is being discussed with the Planning Commission, finance ministry, housing ministry and the Capital Development Authority,” Dawn quoted Secretary Housing Kamran Lashari as saying.
“The plan is a replica of a recently implemented plan of the government under which official cars of government servants were given to them on specific terms and conditions after which they will get monthly transportation allowance but the government will not provide official vehicle to any employee,” he added.
The government has always faced a problem in providing official accommodation due to shortage of houses.
As part of the plan, all government houses will be reused and may be sold according to the market value.
“We can also construct high-rise buildings and commercial centres in place of existing old government houses,” the secretary said.