NAM flats to be rented out to government officials
City Correspondent
The NAM flats, which were allotted to the lawmakers of dissolved eighth parliament, will now be rented out, cancelling earlier allocation that permitted the former lawmakers to stay in the flats until the new parliament is constituted. Mainul Hosein, adviser, Housing and Public Works yesterday met Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar to discuss the issue. "The flats will be rented among government officials for a short period of time," said the adviser. The adviser requested the speaker to take necessary steps to vacate the NAM flats, which were built during the Awami League government to accommodate delegates of the NAM summit. "For security reasons and proper maintenance the NAM flats in the city would be brought under the full control of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works," Mainul told reporters at his office. At the end of the eighth parliament, the House Committee has decided that the lawmakers can use the 324 NAM flats until new parliament is constituted. But the ninth parliamentary election scheduled on January 22 was cancelled and is now scheduled at the end of 2008. In this situation, the office of the chief adviser last month asked the parliament secretariat to cancel the allocation of NAM flats at Sher-e-Banglanagar and Nakhalpara. The lawmakers were allowed to stay in the NAM flats by paying nominal rents. But since the anti-corruption drive has begun, many former lawmakers left the flats to avoid arrest by joint forces. About 100 former lawmakers have however vacated their flats as the January 22 parliamentary election was postponed. Now, 234 NAM flats are in the names of former lawmakers.
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