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Abbas asks advisory panel for balanced policy

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Housing and Works, Abbas Sarfaraz Khan has asked the advisory board on housing to prepare a balanced national housing policy based on low-cost housing.

He said this while presiding over a first meeting of the advisory board held here on Monday.

Abbas said that interest of sub-sectors of the housing would also be protected in the policy to encourage them.

He asked the board to work on emergent basis and complete their recommendations within shortest possible time.

The minister said currently there is no sound housing policy and the people are facing acute residential problems all over the country.

He said that mushroom growth of "Kachi Abadies", which have also damaged the beauty of the country are main hurdles in the town planning.

He said the private sector should come forward and take up its role in the development of housing sector.

The government would work only as regulatory authority and provide policy guidelines for development of housing sector, he added.

He pointed out that unfortunately there is a glut of apartments in Karachi but there was no buyers. Millions of rupees of construction companies have blocked.

In order to formulate a housing policy with particular reference to the low cost housing, the meeting constituted a sub-group with Dr. A. Rahim Khan, a renowned town planner as its convenor.

The sub-group will examine the issues relating to the housing sector and formulate the strategy for implementation of the recommendations.

In this behalf, seminars would be held throughout the country, which would be participated by experts, people from every walk of life, and those concerned with the housing issues to obtained their views in this regard, the meeting decided.

The advisory board reviewed the working of the ministry with reference to housing and deliberated upon the existing housing policy as enunciated in the 9th five year plan.

The documents prepared on the housing by various persons and organisations were also referred to, and the problems in relation to the implementation of the housing policy were also discussed thoroughly.

It may be mentioned here that the advisory board on housing was constituted with the approval of the Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf last month to formulate national housing policy. APP