Islamabad: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill on Wednesday (March 10) revealed that the construction of 7,500 affordable housing units – launched as part of the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) – has been completed and an additional 64,000 units will be completed in a few months, according to a news source.
The SAPM revealed this information during a press conference, where he further mentioned that the owners of these houses will pay an instalment of PKR 14,000 per month after moving in.
As an added facility, the process of getting home loans from banks for housing construction has been made easier by curtailing the number of requisite documents from 20 to 8 – after reviewing conditions. The time period for issuance of NOC under this scheme is five working days, added Gill.
Talking about private companies showing interest in the construction of low-cost housing schemes under NPHP, the SAPM said that the activity will generate 700,000 jobs.
Regarding the execution of projects initiated by the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), Gill said that the federal and provincial governments have provided every possible support to ensure the execution of ABAD projects. The Punjab government has approved 700 of these schemes during the last seven months, whereas the Sindh government has approved only 19 projects during the last four months. To investigate the factors causing delays in 269 pending projects of ABAD in Sindh, the federal government is looking to approach the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Gill also shared updates on the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development project, revealing that 5,400 acres of land for this project has already been acquired and the construction work will begin after the legal formalities are fulfilled. He further mentioned that that project will face River Ravi on one side and will be connected with the Lahore-Islamabad-Motorway on the other.
To make the project eco-friendly, the establishment of a dense forest spanning 450 acres is part of the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development project plan. Talking about the development of Lahore’s Central Business District, he said that the consultation and surveys are underway to develop this project at par with the standards of other countries.
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