Wafaqi Mohtasib declares JPMC employees eligible for FGEHA plots

ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP):In a landmark decision, the Wafaqi Mohtasib (Federal Ombudsman), Naveed Kamran Baloch has declared the employees of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi eligible for allotment of plots under the Federal Government employees quota.

He directed the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) to consider JPMC employees as Federal Government servants and to include their names in the allotment process w.e.f. filing of their respective applications.

According to the details, the JPMC doctor S.M. Tariq Rafi along with certain other employees had approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s Office with the plea that their organization i.e. JPMC was transferred to the government of Sindh, following the passage of the 18th Constitutional amendment. However, this step was declared unconstitutional by the Sindh High Court as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan, restoring its federal status. This development  automatically restored their federal government employees status.

The FGEHA, however, continued to exclude them from the housing schemes meant for the federal government employees.

The JPMC employees argued that this step was discriminatory and constituted a serious violation of their fundamental rights. They said that the organization’s employees had been allotted plots of land and flats from time to time in the past.

The Wafaqi Mohtasib called for a detailed report from the FGEHA. It opined that when the petitioners applied for allotment of plots their organization was under the administrative control of the Sindh government and, therefore, they were not entitled to allotment of plots under the Federal employees quota.

The Wafaqi Mohtasib after listening to both sides and minutely reviewing the available record, dismissed the plea taken by the FGEHA and termed the JPMC employees eligible for allotment of plots under the federal government employee’s quota.