CDA identifies land for housing in I-16

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Islamabad

The Capital Development Authority has identified land for the Ministry of Housing in Sector I-16 for construction of a number of housing units for the federal government employees.

An official of Pakistan Housing Authority told this agency on Saturday that the ministry was trying to acquire land on fast basis in different areas of the capital to materialise its latest housing project for all.

He said, CDA was requested to identify land for construction of a chain of housing units.

The ministry would weigh its pros and cons, and would later inform the civic body to develop it, he added.

The official further said that about 768 housing units for low paid federal government employees in BPS-1 to BPS-16 would be ready by the end of next year.

Giving details, he said basic infrastructure to a total of 368 D-type and 400 E-type apartments had been laid in Sectors G-10/2 and G-11/3 and their completion would end by next year.

Besides, to accommodate a substantial number of other allottees, construction would be kicked of in latest identified Sector I-16 by the CDA.

CDA would provide basic infrastructure to other identified land in I-16 sector for further accommodation of allottees, he added.

He said, the recent work was being executed from amount collected from the payments made by the allottees through down payments and instalments.

Replying to another question, he said to generate funds for the ongoing and upcoming projects, the ministry would sell out additional housing units to general public at market rates.

Regarding shortage of land area, he said the ministry always looked towards feasible projects, ruling out those areas away from the developed ones and owned by private owners.

About 100,000 federal government employees in the capital have been constantly facing accommodation problems since long as the Ministry of Housing and Works feels itself grappled with thorny issues of land acquisition, litigation, compensation for built up property and paucity of funds.

Accommodation in capital has become costlier with the passage of time, and especially low paid government employees are facing brunt of unchecked surge in monthly rents.

The existing 2,000 residential units owned by the ministry of Housing have already been occupied by the serving employees on turn out and out of turn basis. For many, owning a cost effective residence is still a distant dream.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=203828