Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority is supposed to make a decision about land acquisition planned for the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) at its board meeting on Friday, according to news sources. The CDA is supposed to allocate land to the NPHP at two locations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. In an attempt to accelerate the process, the housing foundation director had previously held a meeting with the CDA.
On April 9, the cabinet approved the mutation of over 500 kanals of CDA land in Mauza Chaklala in the Rawalpindi district for the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) under the NPHP, as communicated to The National Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Works (NASCHW). The plan entails building a total of 25,000 houses on the two designated locations. In Chaklala, 70% of the houses are to be built for BPS 1 to 16 employees, while 30% are to be built for BPS 17 to 21.
The cabinet also gave the approval for the use of land in the Mauve Area of Sectors G-13 and G-14 in Islamabad as a residential scheme. Approximately 6,000 units are to be constructed on the selected land. Consequently, the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) was asked to provide a detailed proposal for the CDA board to consider.
According to Housing and Works Secretary Dr Imran Zeb Khan, the CDA imposed the rate for developed land for government accommodation at PKR 11,000 per square yard. Additionally, the CDA has requested specific instructions from the cabinet for the construction of high-rise buildings in the areas which it can then follow.
The Chair of the NASCHW, Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, stressed the importance of meeting international standards when constructing houses. This means the houses being constructed must include two bedrooms, a washroom and a kitchen, at the least. He requested a detailed report on the progress of NPHP from the ministry.
