LAHORE -The Punjab Government Servants Housing Scheme (PGSHS) at Mohlanwal on Multan Road constructed for the retired government employees from grade 1 to 22 has proved a total failure due to cruel conditions and exorbitant price index for houses of various denominations. The government servants were lured that they will get plots free of cost and they will have to pay only the price of construction for the houses. However, the prices for a house measuring one kanal land is fixed at Rs 5.8 million. 10 marla Rs 3.4 million, seven marla Rs 2.3 million and for a 5 marla house the retired employees will have to pay a sum of Rs 1.3 million, which is beyond their reach. Thus the scheme has become a source of oppression for the government servants. The pension and gratuity admissible to a government employee after retirement do not commensurate with the cash demand made for the houses after the retirement. As such it does not enable a retired employee to purchase the house. For instance, an employee, desirous of purchasing a five marla house, will have to deposit Rs 0.5 million in advance out of the total amount and remaining in instalments of Rs 14,000 per month, despite the fact that pension for servants eligible for the same category house does not exceed Rs 5,000 per month. A government servant in grade 20 receives gratuity not more than Rs 1.3 million but he has to pay a sum of Rs 5.8 million for one kanal house for which he is entitled Thus a government servant is not able to secure a house inspite of investing his entire pension and gratuity. The government has exhorted them to get the House Building Finance Corporation or bank loans which are available on 13 per cent mark-up. Thus the government servants are trapped into a vicious circle. The Mohlanwal scheme was initiated during the period of former Punjab Chief Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi in 2000 and was much trumpeted saying that the government has fulfilled a promise to give houses to government servants after retirement and that similar schemes will be introduced in other districts. However, due to price factor, the scheme has not proved successful. It is reported that majority of houses built by millions of rupees in the scheme are still vacant although the government servants retired after 2007 have since become eligible to apply for the houses but not too many have shown interest to get the same. They say the government should give them free plots and they will build their houses according to their requirements and time period best suited to them instead of constructed houses which are beyond their reach. They say the government allots plots to legislators, generals, and CSP officers and on the very next day they sell these at high prices. On the other hand, the average government servants including academicians are not only deprived of their lifetime savings but also driven to take loans and pay the instalments at the age when they are not capable of doing any job.