‘Govt interested in Turkish model for low-cost housing’

The Minister said the government was interested in transforming shanty houses and slums into model housing projects

LAHORE:

Minister for Housing and Urban Development Tanveer Aslam Malik on Thursday said the government was interested in the Turkish model for low cost housing development and sought Turkish cooperation in this regard. He was addressing a meeting with Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI) president Mehmet Turan.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Sohail Mahmood was also present.

Malik said the housing model developed by Turkey could be emulated in Pakistan.



He said the government was interested in transforming shanty houses and slums into model housing projects which would ensured better living conditions for the residents.

He said the housing crisis could be overcome through completion of 50,000 housing units with the technical help from the TOKI.

The TOKI president explained the financial, technical, managerial and business models that his organisation followed under which nearly 700,000 housing units had been provided to poor families over the last 12 years.

He said the TOKI and its private partners had the capacity to add 60,000 housing units annually.



This was a follow-up meeting to a recent agreement reached between the the government of the Punjab and the TOKI under which the TOKI will provide technical consultancy support to the Punjab government in its endeavour to provide 50,000 housing units.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2016.