The Government of Punjab it set to launch a low-cost housing project featuring 50,000 houses for low-income people, according to a news source. This information has raised a very specific question in my mind: Does this mean that the government has neglected Ashiana-e-Iqbal Apartments, the balloting for which is highly awaited? At this point, there’s no way for us to know.
For this new project, the government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI). According to the MoU, TOKI will provide technical support to the government to help it achieve its mission of providing affordable housing options to low- and mid-income groups.
At the signing ceremony, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif said the project aims to cater to the housing needs of the low-income strata, adding that the houses will be handed over on easy instalments with no interest factor involved. The CM admitted that there is dearth of low-cost housing projects in the country, as residential schemes have mostly just been launched for the elite class.
The CM has requested TOKI to build 25,000 houses in a year, which means the project will be completed within 2 years. I sincerely hope the government meets this deadline.
To get more details about the project, I contacted the Department of Housing & Urban Development and learned that the department’s secretary will meet the officials concerned tomorrow to get down to brass tacks of the project. The official I conversed with could not share details about the location, cost and sizes of the housing units. He, however, said that these details will be made public soon.
I also learned that the Turkish firm will not be involved in the construction, as it will only provide technical consultancy.
That’s all about the upcoming affordable housing project for the day. Rest assured, I shall share further details as soon as they become available to me.
Now, before I sign off for the day, let me get a word in about Ashiana-e-Iqbal Apartments.
According to the official I spoke to, the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) is still scrutinising applications received for the project and will make an announcement about balloting in the near future. I wrote an update on the project a few days ago, which can be read here.
It is commendable that the government is mulling over low-cost housing options to address the jarring housing shortfall in the country, but the government needs to complete its old projects such as Ashiana-e-Iqbal Apartments before taking up new ones.
What do you think about the government’s plan to hand over 50,000 houses to low- and mid-income individuals and families? Please share your view in the comments section below.
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Good piece of information Zain Sb.,, I have witnessed few housing developments in UAE by the Turkish construction companies. Their workmanship and project monitoring is excellent. I trust while pre-qualifying the firms, the relevant in Punjab government must have carefully scrutinized their credentials.
I have a minimal confidence in our local construction companies. They inherit issues, like lethargy, poor monitoring and the poor quality of work. Corrupt practices are also one of the major reasons behind bad quality.
To get positive results, we must have clear material specifications, program of works and a very competent project management team . I always say and firmly believe that we have no dearth of requisite expertise in Pakistan.
Thank you for your feedback sir.