The Senate Standing Committee on Housing expressed concern over the prolonged delay in the allotment of residential plots reserved for journalists under the government quota.
During the meeting, Senator Bilal Ahmed questioned officials from the Ministry of Housing regarding the status of the allotments, asking, “What happened to the plots of journalists? Why are you not giving them allotments?”
Responding to the query, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Housing said that the allotment process was pending due to the non-receipt of the final list of eligible journalists from the Ministry of Information.
“When the journalists submit their final list, the Ministry of Information will forward it to us, and we will issue the allotment letters accordingly,” the official stated.
Senator Bilal, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation and urged the Housing Ministry to take a proactive approach. He emphasized that the list should be obtained without delay, stating, “You should take the list from them.”
He further suggested strong action if the list is not provided in a timely manner, proposing that the journalists’ quota be abolished altogether and the reserved plots be auctioned instead.
The committee’s discussion highlights the need for improved coordination between ministries and timely resolution of administrative delays, especially in matters involving long-promised entitlements.
The issue remains unresolved as the ministries continue to wait on the final list of eligible journalists.
