Murad approves low-cost housing scheme in Karachi

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has given a go-ahead for a low-cost house scheme in Karachi.

In a meeting there Friday, the chief minister was told that the SBBHC has got a 50-acre land in Deh Nagan, Karachi where a low-cost housing scheme could be established. On this, the chief minister directed the SBBHC to invite applications for launching a low-cost housing scheme on a public-private partnership basis.

“We can give half of the land to private party against which the private party would develop two or three apartment towers for government’s low-cost housing scheme for the poor people,” he suggested.

The chief minister directed his special assistant and the chairman to prepare a proposal and start consulting private parties so that this proposal could be materialized.

Shah also decided to launch 600 low-cost houses in three districts, including 400 in Larkana, 100 in Jamshoro and 100 in Khairpur.

The cost of 600 houses would be Rs269milion at a rate of Rs448328 each house.

The chief minister directed the finance department to release Rs2.6 million out of SBBHC Fund maintained by Fund Management House.

Special Assistant to CM Nawab Wassan told the chief minister that 6000 low houses under phase-III were approved for Rs1.82 billion at THE market rate of 2016. The Finance department under Fund Management had released Rs910 million in three equal installments for 3000 houses.

He added that 2526 houses have been completed in all respect and the remaining 438 houses were at the final stage and likely to be completed on September 15, 2019. He said that the SBBHC could not start work on remaining 3000 houses due to non-release of funds of Rs1.5 billion.

The chief minister directed the BBHC to revise rates as per new market rates and then submit a proposal so that required funds could be released.

These 3000 low-cost houses under phase-III have been constructed in different districts and they have two-rooms of 10 into 12 feet with 8 into 10 corridors and 4 into 7 feet bathroom. The total size of the house comes to 436.25 square ft. The phase-III houses are located in Badin, 153, Shaheed Benazirabad 215, Dadu 204, Ghotki 102, Hyderabad 127, Jacobabad 100, Jamshoro 263, Kambar 144, Karachi 57, Mirpurkhas 121, Matiari 19, Larkana 186, Khairpur 162, Kashmore 57 and other districts.

Under phase-II 6000 solar units installed on the houses constructed under low-cost housing schemes in a different district.

The chief minister directed the SBBHC to prepare more schemes so that poor people of the province could be provided houses with solar energy.