Low-cost scheme: Land, funding issues hold up housing plan

Talks for acquisition of land in Karachi are underway.

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday told the National Assembly that besides allocation of funds, acquisition of required land for the prime minister’s low-cost housing scheme in different parts of the country was a prime concern.

Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Works Syed Sajid Mehdi was replying to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker’s question about the PM’s plan announced in 2013 which has not yet been materialised.

Mehdi replied that the ministry could only acquire land in two areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab while talks are still underway for the acquisition of land in Karachi. “Government of Balochistan has given us free land for the scheme.” he said

He also informed the NA that the ministry was facing acute shortage of funds and during 2015-16 the ministry was allocated Rs58 million for the housing units across the country. “We utilised the whole budget but it amounts to Rs2,300 per housing unit in the country, which is nothing,” he said. As per the Apna Ghar Scheme, the provinces will provide the land free of charge and the federal government will construct 500,000 housing units around Pakistan in five years.

Water and power

Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said: “Pakistan is facing water shortages which are going to get worse with every passing year.”

To cater to the situation, the reply added, federal government is working on a plan to construct new dams in different parts of the country. He further said that India is not abiding by the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty 1960.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2016.