The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defence has directed the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to ensure transparency in utilisation of funds and also take its residents onboard while levying taxes or increasing the existing charges to avoid resentment.
The Committee met under the chairmanship of Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, MNA on Saturday in the Parliament House to discuss the imposition of refurbishment charges by the DHA. The Committee after conceding the problems being faced by the residents of DHA, Karachi and levying of unjust taxes like Refurbishment Charges by the Administration of DHA, decided to constitute a three members sub-committee headed by Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, MNA to thoroughly look into the matter.
The sub-committee will submit its report to the main Committee suggesting amendments in the Act governing the cantonment boards and the by-laws of DHA. Earlier, the representative/administrator of the DHA said that they have been providing all possible facilities like development of land, maintenance of roads, drainage system etc to provide modern facilities of life on the alacrity of its residents.
He said that heavy rain in 2007 paralysed the civic life and flooded almost all major parts of Karachi including DHA, which necessitated undertaking the up-gradation and refurbishment work on the persistent demands of its residents so as to maintain the quality living standards.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro, Shagufta Sadiq, Rai Ghulam Mujtaba Kharral, Ayaz Amir, Syed Haider Ali Shah, Shaikh Rohale Asghar, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan and Jawad Hussain and senior officers from the Ministry of Defence were also present in the meeting.