Sindh: CM reviews low-cost housing project

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Monday chaired a People’s Housing Cell (PHC) Steering Committee meeting regarding the low-cost housing programme for the poor and stressed the need to expedite the construction work.

Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister and Peoples Housing Cell Chairman Zia-ul- Islam briefed the meeting participants about the low-cost housing and informed them that 100 acres land, of which 50 acres is in Deh Nagan and 50 acres is in Deh Surjani, has been identified. He said that the possession of land in Deh Nagan has been handed over, however, the land in Deh Surgani is yet to be handed.

He further revealed that low cost houses are also to be constructed in Larkana, Nawabshah, Jacobabad and Khairpur. The Sindh Rural Support Organisation briefed the participants of the meeting about the design of the one-room low cost houses and the plans to construct 200 such houses. It was revealed that 200 acres of land has been identified by the PHC in Bin Qasim, Karachi, where PHC plans to launch an integrated township scheme involving developers and builders who will make their investment and subsidize low cost houses with profit generation.

Of this land, a 10-acre portion may be utilised for launching an incremental development housing scheme on the pattern of Khuda Ki Basti. Several families living on encroached land in the surrounding areas can be the beneficiaries of this scheme.

The chief minister directed that there should be a uniform policy with no discrimination as far as the low-cost housing project is concerned. He said that the poor residing in rural areas will be provided houses free of cost, while 60 percent of the schemes initiated in urban areas will be for the poor and 40 percent for commercial purposes.

He said that village clusters improvement programme should be started under which, affected and very poor villagers will be provided facilities on house repairs under the supervision of the PHC. He also directed that work on construction of houses in Badin and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh be initiated at the earliest.

The meeting, held at the Chief Minister House, was attended by Sindh Minister for Housing Agha Taimur, Chief Secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Nazar Hussain Mahar, Air Marshal (Retd) Riaz Shaikh, Special Secretary (Finance) Naheed Shah and others. app

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