Govt staff to own flats in five years

The government staff in Dhaka and other cities may own flats of 800 to 1,500 square feet (sft) in five years as per a housing scheme in the works.

The concept paper of the housing project, which was taken up to attract meritorious individuals to government jobs and uphold their morale, was presented to Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday at his secretariat office by Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.

At present, many government employees take to corruption out of uncertainty over their jobs; if they were given housing facility they would not resort to unlawful activity.

The scheme has already been presented before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who instructed quick implementation of the project, said a finance ministry official quoting Azad. Subsequently, at the meeting, Muhith asked Rajuk to prepare a guideline for the housing project.

Initially, 1,200 flats will be constructed in 14-storey buildings on government land at Mirpur Sector 9, according to the concept paper. The project will later be taken to Purbachal or other areas such that all public servants in Dhaka can own flats.

Two 14-storey buildings will be constructed in each divisional city, outside Dhaka.

Civil servants of grade 16 to grade 10 will each get an 800sft flat. Grade 9 staff will be given 1,250sft flats and those between grade 8 and grade 3 will get 1,500sft flats.

Apartments will cost Tk 4,500 per square foot, but the rate may be lower for the flats outside Dhaka.

The staff can pay off the amount for the flats over 30 years with the house rent portion of their salaries.

If there are amounts pending after 30 years, they will be deducted from the pension, or cleared off through low interest loans.

A separate bank, named Samriddhir Sopan, will be set up for government employees, from which they can take loans at low interest rate.

Rajuk will implement the scheme, and those whose services have been confirmed will qualify for flats.

Meanwhile, the national pay commission led by former central bank governor Mohammad Farashuddin also recommended a scheme of this nature, and it was endorsed by the cabinet when the new pay-scale was approved.