CM orders easing of home safety loans

Portal of scheme to strengthen buildings launched

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday digitally launched the portal for the "Apni Chhat, Mehfooz Chhat" project initiated in memory of the children who lost their lives in the Kahna roof collapse incident.

The chief minister ordered reduction of the monthly instalment for the interest-free loan scheme from Rs14,000 to approximately Rs4,700 to Rs9,300, making the programme more affordable for low-income households.

Under the scheme, residents will be eligible for an interest-free loan of Rs500,000 to strengthen the roofs of their homes. An interest-free loan of up to Rs1 million will be available for constructing additional rooms or storey.

Provincial Housing Minister Bilal Yasin informed the CM that 173,158 interest-free loans amounting to Rs224.457 billion had been disbursed so far.

Recalling the Kahna tragedy, the chef minister said the collapse of a roof during construction, which claimed the lives of 14 children, had shaken her.

The government had launched the project to ensure that every home in Punjab was structurally safe, she added.

She said harsh weather, including heavy rains and windstorms, often caused weak roofs and walls to collapse, resulting in loss of lives.

The chief minister said the "Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar" programme had enabled around 200,000 families to move from rented accommodation into homes of their own.

She said financially disadvantaged families would be able to obtain loans on easy terms to strengthen unsafe roofs. A loan of Rs500,000 would be repayable over nine years through a monthly instalment of Rs4,700.

She added that the initiative was aimed at protecting citizens from both human and financial loss. The Punjab government would bear the processing fee and other charges for the loans.

Every resident of Punjab will be able to apply using a valid Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), she said, adding that the scheme had been designed with simplified conditions and affordable monthly repayments.