Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday chaired the weekly meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) for Housing, Construction and Development where he directed the provincial chief secretaries to focus on the eradication of patwari and ‘corruption culture’ – and to introduce digitisation in land-related matters, according to news sources.
During the session, the PM was apprised on the progress made on the masterplan formation process of several major cities in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah informed the meeting that the masterplans of 17 cities in Sindh were currently under review and assured that the drafts for six of these urban centres would be finalised by December; with the remaining masterplans scheduled for completion by June 2021. He also revealed that the work on the Karachi Master Plan 2047 would be launched in December.
Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz intimated the meeting on the progress and timelines for reviewing the masterplans of Peshawar, Mardan and other cities in the province. He revealed that the said blueprints for the cities located in the newly merged tribal districts, along with several others, were also being formulated.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik presented a detailed overview of the online portal being launched to assist businessmen and investors involved in the construction sector. He revealed that this new effort was geared to facilitate approvals and minimise physical interaction, and informed that several such portals had already been established in Islamabad, Sindh and KP.
The PM expressed satisfaction over the current progress of the construction work and reiterated his concern regarding the protection and enhancement of green areas in the country. He directed the officials concerned to ‘give special attention’ to urban forestry.
Further, the premier – by way of a pilot project – approved the establishment of two Pak-Afghan border markets in Balochistan; which are slated to become functional by February 2021.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
