PHA to construct one million low-cost housing units: Khiljee

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) would construct one million low-cost housing units for low-paid government employees and general public in Islamabad and all the provincial headquarters during the next five years to meet the acute shortage of houses.
Talking to APP, Managing Director PHA, Sami Ul Haq Khiljee said that the programme has been started on emergency basis following the maiden speech of Prime
Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the National Assembly to construct one million low-cost housing units for federal government employees and general public throughout the country.
The housing units will be given to federal government employees and general public on ownership basis, he said and added that the Minister for Housing and Works
Rehmatullah Kakar would give a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister about the housing plan in a few days.
He said that the PHA is also working on a plan to construct 37,000 housing units for federal government employees of Grade 1 to 16 and 17 to 22 on the pattern of Army Welfare Trust, which will be given to them on ownership basis after retirement.
Khiljee said that the PHA has so far received 1,40,000 applications for the said scheme while the date for submission of applications has also been extended upto April 30.
The housing units for occupational groups officers of Grade 17 to 22 will be constructed near Kurri Road while for low-paid employees 1,000 flats are being constructed in G-11 while 3,000 will be constructed in Sectors G-14, F-12 and I-16, he added.
In this connection, he said the Capital Development Authority has provided land in Sectors I-16, G-14 and G-10 for construction of 1,000 flats.
The PHA, he said has so far completed 4447 housing units in Islamabad and rest of the country for low-paid employees and general public.
The Managing Director PHA said that the provincial and district government would provide land to the Housing Ministry where construction work will be started through local and foreign construction companies.
Khiljee said foreign construction companies of China, Korea, Turkey have so far conveyed their expression of interests to Pakistan to participate in the mega
scheme where conventional as well as modern techniques of construction would be applied.
He said that state of the art construction work will be carried out in the scheme to provide the dwellers modern style of living having all the facilities of clean environment, sewerage system and clean drinking water.
Banks will also provide loans for low-paid government employees and general public to get these houses, he added.
To make the mega scheme transparent , a monitory council will also be set up having head of all the major departments who will be directly answerable to the Prime Minister, he said.
Khiljee said that besides meeting the growing demand of housing units the mega scheme will also provide jobs to thousands of people.
He said that the project will be put up in next meeting of the federal cabinet for approval.He said a complete sketch of the plan would be presented within first 100 days of the new government.—APP