The Ministry of Finance has turned down a request of the Estate Office for the payment of six months dues of the last financial year that is to be paid to the owners of the rented houses on behalf of government employees.
Last month, the government decentralised the hiring policy and now the Estate Office has no role to play as all the ministries and departments are entitled to hire houses for their employees.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday that the Finance Ministry had to pay the dues of January-June of the last fiscal to the Estate Office.
The decision of the finance ministry has delayed the payment by the Estate Office that has really perturbed thousands of government employees and many of them are facing eviction threats from their respective owners.
The request was made keeping in view the previous policy, as the Estate Office has to pay the amount despite the implementation of the new policy.
Under the previous mechanism, the finance ministry used to pay the amount twice a year to the owners through Estate Office.
According to sources, the finance ministry is yet to clear the situation. The ministry is not giving any specific date for the release of the amount either to the concerned ministries or the Estate Office.
They said there is strong possibility that the ministry releases the arrears to the concerned ministries, which will further delay the process creating a new tussle between the Estate Office and the ministries.
However, an official in finance ministry said that ministry has delayed the payment as there are some complications in the new decentralised policy. The ministry is in a fix whether to make the payment under the new policy or old one.
He added that the ministry might pay the dues to the ministries and the latter should clear the arrears of six months through the Estate Office with the consent of the ministries.
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