PHOTO: FILE
The construction of these high-rises is also seen as tying into Prime Minister Imran Khan’s plan of building five million homes in the country.
Sources said that the federal government is mulling the implementation of the ‘alternate use of public property’ policy all over the country whereby they will demolish old, government-built houses to make way for the construction of high-rises. The government will also use this land to build homes for low-income people.
In the federal capital, the government has decided in-principal to level the government quarters built in posh areas such as Sector F-6 /4 and build high-rises. A proposal in this regard was reportedly presented by a committee formed on the matter. The proposal has been presented to the federal cabinet for deliberation.
The committee had further suggested to demolish the government quarters built in Sector G-6 and Sector G-7 and construct multi-storey residential towers in its stead so that more lower-income people can get housing facilities.
Sources in the Housing Ministry said that employing the ‘alternate use of public property’ police will also help the government fulfil its promise of building five million homes.
They added that the ministry is currently draft up plans of demolishing old, dilapidated government structures across the country, including in Islamabad, to make way for the construction of these multi-storey apartment buildings.
However, the project has yet to be finalised by the committee for alternate use of public land. This is not the first time such a plan has been drafted. The suggestion to demolish old public residential schemes to make way for modern, multi-storey structures, especially in Sectors F-6 and Sector G-7 of the federal capital has come up in the past as well but was never implemented.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2019.
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