Agents’ Take on what infrastructure developments would benefit the real estate sector of their city

Reputed real estate agents from Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Hyderabad give us their take on the property sector:

Farhan Ali Sheikh, Lahore properties, Lahore

You would find very few investors and real estate agents in Lahore who would have a problem with the existing infrastructure of the city. In Lahore, much of the real estate investment activity is currently taking place in the newly launched housing societies and since these projects are in their initial phases, the investors have few concerns about the absence of enough roads and other infrastructure. But this doesn’t mean that there is nothing wrong with infrastructure here. For the most part, the infrastructure issues of Lahore are swept under the rug to make it all look nice.

If you have used the Lahore Ring Road, Ferozepur Road, Canal Bank Road and Barki Road, you must have been mesmerised by how massively Lahore has been transformed, but if you ever had a chance to move deeper into the areas surrounding these grand avenues, you would agree that Lahore is not all that well-developed. The recent shift in the focus of property buyers and sellers towards the south of the city has seriously affected the older parts of the city to the north.

Broken roads rife with encroachment and the horrible state of the sewerage system have made areas like Shad Bagh, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Shahdara Town, Badami Bagh, China Scheme, Misri Shah and Shah Alam Market a commuter’s worst nightmare, and yet the authorities’ current focus is on launching and developing new housing projects and building bigger roads that benefit only a handful of people.

Lahore does not need new infrastructure at the moment but the maintenance of existing facilities, especially in the areas around the big, shiny, new roads. The authorities need to set their priorities straight and focus on fixing the issues that concern the common man.

Moeen Qureshi, Emkay Consultants, Karachi

The infrastructure development seen in Karachi over the last few decades has not been a match with the city’s actual needs. The population of Karachi has increased at a massive rate but the infrastructure here is unable to accommodate these people. With traffic issues that have made it into national headlines, Karachi is now facing the consequences of improper infrastructure development done in the past.

Construction bylaws are not strictly followed in the city and the absence of parking facilities in commercial areas have augmented the city’s traffic woes further. Traffic management in Karachi does not only require more and wider roads but also parking plazas. Karachi needs local body representatives who can spot and address the problems of their respective union councils.

Karachi is currently expanding and the outskirts of the city need a systematic infrastructure development plan in which, along with better roads and an improved security apparatus, construction bylaws should be strictly implemented. By making an effective and extensive development plan for the suburbs of Karachi and implementing it accordingly, the population load on the central areas of the city can be reduced.

The property rates in Karachi are stable and unlike many other cities of the country, the real estate market here has performed consistently well. If the infrastructure of the city can be improved, property rates and demand in Karachi are definitely going to shoot up even more

Chaudhry Shafqat Hussain Padhiar, Al Basit Real Estate & Builders, Islamabad

Several of the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s sectors in Islamabad such as Sectors G-13, G-14, G-15, I-15 and I-16 demand the authority’s attention. The absence of proper road networks, unavailability of gas and sewerage facilities, et cetera, have made these sectors a disappointment for those who trusted the efficiency of the CDA and invested there several years ago.

Be it a private housing project or a public one, the developers in Islamabad are dependent on the CDA in one way or another since the major road networks in the outskirts of Islamabad are to be developed by the authority.

One very relevant example in this regard is that of DHA Valley, where an avenue near Chak Shehzad linking DHA Phase II Extension with DHA Valley can make things very different for those living there by reducing the travelling distance by half. Similarly, the adjoining areas of Kuri Model Village also need major infrastructure development.

Private developers, especially DHA and Bahria Town, also need to work on their projects in Islamabad as the property market in the city now needs major infrastructure development to get going.

DHA Islamabad should pick up the pace of work on DHA Expressway and Bahria should attend to the concerns of Bahria Enclave II and give the investors some hope in the form of infrastructure development.

Zafar Ali Shah, Azhar Property Dealers & Builders, Peshawar

In Peshawar, the most glaring effects of lack of infrastructure development can be seen in Regi Lalma. Investments worth billions of rupees have been stuck there for the last 20 years and little has changed. The lack of interest from the Peshawar Development Authority has dimmed the lustre of this area, turning it into something of a real estate pitfall for investors.

Construction work on the northern Bypass, whenever it starts, should give a major boost to the adjoining areas. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) has recently acquired land for DHA Peshawar near the northern Bypass and Regi Lalma, and I anticipate some major infrastructure development in the surrounding areas in the coming few years, which is also much-needed.

Hayatabad, which is the most upscale area of the city, has some serious traffic issues and the area needs an extensive traffic management plan coupled with the construction of a few overpasses, especially at Hayatabad Phase III Chowk.

M Nabeel, Chawla Corporation, Faisalabad

Faisalabad has changed massively and the bumpy roads of old no longer exist. The rapid construction of a high quality road infrastructure has made real estate in the city more valuable. As a real estate agent of Faisalabad, I am very happy with how the city’s infrastructure has been transformed over the last 10 years. Nonetheless, Faisalabad still needs more roads and related infrastructure as the city is expanding.

In order for the city to welcome new and high-end residential projects, the drainage and sewerage systems need a complete overhaul. Many old areas of the city have trouble draining rainwater and the old pipelines are now in need of attention. Another major problem faced by the people of Faisalabad and the developers launching their new residential projects is the unavailability of gas. The massive yarn industry of Faisalabad needs most of the gas that is available, but since it is linked to pretty much every business in the city, the people of Faisalabad as well as developers of new housing projects have accepted the situation and they are willing to cope with limited or no gas supply. I believe, however, that this problem needs to be solved.

In addition to this, Faisalabad also needs an even distribution of commercial and recreational facilities so that the newly developed housing societies and those located farther from the central commercial areas can enjoy the demand and worth they deserve.

Ali Raza Shah, AR builders, Hyderabad

The central areas of Hyderabad are overcrowded and the population pressure on these areas is eating away at the beauty of this historic city. The city thus needs planned expansion backed by sound and systematic infrastructure development.

Hyderabad can be expanded on three sides: Tando jam Road, Hyderabad Bypass/Jamshoro and Hatri. There is limited area available on the Jamshoro side, which is why this side of the city is not too promising for future real estate developments. However, the Hatri and Tando Jam sides of Hyderabad have huge potential to become the residential future of the city.

The development authority in Hyderabad has a development plan for these areas but nothing has so far been seen on the ground. Several private housing societies have been launched recently, especially around the Isra University, but in the absence of gas supply and sewerage systems, the demand for and value of property in these housing societies is not impressive.

Despite slow development work in the area, however, many newly launched housing societies in Hyderabad are located to the north of the city – the Hatri side – and if development work could pace up there, property values there could increase exponentially. The mere availability of gas could change a lot.