PHOTO: FILE
An announcement was made by Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on Thursday.
The minister said all arrangements have been made and the process of receiving applications from prospective home owners will start in the next few days. He indicated that the decision was taken at a meeting of the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency's (PHTPA) governing body.
Rasheed ordered officials to give final shape to the arrangements to start low-cost houses under NPHS. The meeting formed a six-member committee for the final selection of the proposed sites in Lahore. This body will submit its report after visiting all the proposed sites. The meeting also decided to form a committee which will prepare a report to set up a new city in Padri district, Rawalpindi. Both the committees will submit their reports within a week.
The minister said that the PHATA governing body meeting should be called on a fortnightly basis to expedite work. Work related to amendments in PHATA bylaws should also be completed soon to provide relief to people and the builders. A briefing was given about the design of the Multan project of NPHS.
Earlier this month, NPHS was launched in Renala Khurd near Okara in Punjab by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Speaking on the occasion, Khan said that despite the difficult economic situation, the incumbent government has embarked upon a project to construct five million houses in its five years stint.
The private sector will invest in this mega project, while the government will play the role of a facilitator, he added.
The prime minister shared that several foreign companies have expressed their interest in the housing sector and are willing to invest in the project. The scope of the housing project will be spread to the entire country, he added.
The government has already initiated the process of conducting feasibility studies in different districts to launch the NPHS. In the first phase, official documents indicated that the government would conduct feasibility studies for the construction of low-income (pro-poor) housing units of three marla in Chishtian, along Qaziwala Road at Chak No 41 Fateh Tehsil Chishtian in District Bahawalnagar.
The studies were also conducted for Lodhran in Chak No 99/M, Bahawalpur Road, adjacent to the Judicial Colony District Complex Lodhran; and Development Scheme No 2, Renala Khurd along the eastern side of Renala Khurd City, Shergarh Road.
According to the documents, PHATA has acquired 50 acres of state land in Chishtian and the development of infrastructure has already been completed. Similarly, 50 acres and 13 kanals of state land have been transferred to PHATA, Sub Region Multan, for Lodhran and 52 acres of private land has been acquired by PHATA, Sub Region Okara, for the Renala Khurd NPHP project.
There is a shortfall of around 10 million houses and the number is increasing every year.
Therefore, the government is committed to fulfilling its promise of creating an enabling environment for the housing industry to thrive. The ultimate objective is to provide five million housing units for middle and lower-middle income households.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2019.
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