Punjab govt forms body to engage private sector in NPHP

Minister says construction of 2.5 million houses impossible without participation of private sector

LAHORE: In order to encourage and ensure the private sector's participation in the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP), the Punjab government has decided to establish a new public-private partnership authority.

Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed has said a new authority was being established in the province to ensure the participation of the private sector in Prime Minister Imran Khan's NPHP project and speedy construction of low-cost housing units.

Presiding over a meeting on Sunday, the minister said the Punjab government was undertaking effective measures to ensure the private sector’s participation in NPHP. The by-laws of Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) and other institutions are being reviewed to offer relief to builders and developers and to encourage them to play their part in the project.

Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed underlined that the construction of 2.5 million housing units under this scheme was not possible without the active participation of the private sector.

He highlighted that builders and developers would be provided all-out support by the Punjab government to achieve this target. He reiterated his resolve that incentives would be provided to builders and developers in this regard. He maintained that the process of initiating housing projects under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme would be made transparent in consultation with the private sector. Further, the quality of these housing units would also be ensured.



Earlier, the government announced to roll out NPHS in Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Jhelum, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Multan, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan and Gujranwala by January. However, considering the tremendous public interest and a large number of applications, the government has decided to hold the simultaneous launch of the project in all districts.

Initial data indicated that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had received around 80,000 applications from Faisalabad district alone. Therefore, the government had decided to halt the allotment process and to initiate scrutiny of the applications. “The government will announce allotment after the completion of the scrutiny process by March 2019,” the minister said.

The housing minister said there was a huge demand for housing units across Punjab. The government has held the project to avoid undue criticism as it will call for applications from those districts only where spadework has been completed. “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is committed to fulfilling its promise of providing a roof to the low income strata of society but it will take some time,” he added.

Rasheed highlighted that the government would construct double storey houses under the NPHP pilot project. The Federal Housing Taskforce and Punjab government have already completed all arrangements to initiate development works on the NPHS pilot project.

The government aims to execute the project through a public-private partnership. It will play the role of facilitator and regulator in the project. It will provide land while the private sector will build houses from its own resources. Companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China have already expressed their interest to invest in NPHS. A Chinese company has offered the PTI-led government to construct two million houses under the project.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had unveiled the NPHP project in October, 2018. In the first phase, the government has decided to start NPHS in seven districts, including Sukkur, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Swat, Islamabad and Faisalabad, with an aim to construct a total five million houses for the low-income strata of society during next five years.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2019.