–PM says govt encouraging vertical construction to avert threat to food security
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme will be launched next month to provide five million housing units to the low-income segments of society.
Addressing an event here, the prime minister said that his government encouraged the construction of high-rise buildings to meet the growing demand for houses with the help of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the private sector.
He said new construction in urban centers will be vertical to avert the threat to food security.
“Construction of five million houses is a cumbersome task, but once initiated the number of houses to be constructed will be increased every year,” he said. He said the project will directly benefit 40 different industries related to the construction business.
On the occasion, a memorandum of understanding was also signed between Pakistan and the World Bank for cooperation in the housing sector.
The prime minister said the World Bank has itself decided to support the housing project, adding that the government was getting a positive response from overseas Pakistanis, besides Chinese and Malaysian companies.
He said the government is going to launch a plan to regularise slums in different cities, including Islamabad.
He said houses, flats, and commercial centres will be constructed by developers at par with the Turkey and India’s models.
He said the task force will learn from Singapore Model about it. He said the government also plans to establish a land bank retrieving land from land grabbers and also the dead capital of government departments.
He said land worth five hundred billion rupees has so far been recovered from the land grabbers. He, however, clarified that the houses of the poor people will not be demolished under this campaign.
The prime minister said affordable houses will be constructed in the tribal districts through micro-financing.
