Singaporean firm shows interest in Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme

Delegation of construction experts meets Punjab housing minister

LAHORE: After China, low-cost housing manufacturers from Singapore have expressed their interest in the prime minister’s Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme (NPHS), an affordable housing project.

A delegation of Singaporean construction experts from Singapore Pomeroy Studio met Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on Tuesday.



The delegation, which was led by Jason Pomeroy, briefed the minister about low-cost construction technologies. Federal Task Force for Housing Chairman Zaigham Rizvi, Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency Director General Liaqat Chatha, Deputy Secretary Mumtaz Ahmed and Punjab Housing Taskforce General Secretary Atif Ayub were also present.

During the meeting, Pomeroy revealed that the firm possesses vast experience in building low-cost housing in Singapore, Sweden and Indonesia. He highlighted that his firm, under prefabrication technology, can build 40 storey tall buildings in approximately 18 months.

Speaking at the occasion, Rasheed stated that the experiences of the firm will be utilised for NPHS. The firm’s suggestions regarding the construction of low-cost houses will be welcomed, he said. He maintained that the basic purpose of this project is to provide quality residential facilities to the masses for an economical price.

Earlier, in a meeting, the minister highlighted that there is a huge demand for housing units across the province. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government is committed to fulfilling its promise of providing houses to the lower income strata of society. The government will construct double storey houses under NPHS, he said.

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



Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled NPHS in October. In the first phase, the government has decided to initiate the housing project in seven districts, including Sukkur, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Swat, Islamabad and Faisalabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2019.