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Cabinet okays 18 housing projects in four cities

Recorder Report

Islamabad: The Cabinet on Thursday approved the completion of 18 commercially viable housing projects in four major cities of the country and directed the finance division to arrange Rs 1 billion for its bridge financing.

The Cabinet has also shelved remaining 24 housing projects of the previous government's 'Mera Ghar Housing Scheme'.

The joint meeting of the Cabinet and the NSC held here with Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf in the Chair, and was given a presentation by Abbas Sarfaraz Khan, the Federal Minister for Housing, on Housing Programme of the National Housing Authority.

The meeting approved that the marketing of these projects would be done through the banking institutions which would invite applications through media and process the same in a transparent manner.

Sources said that seven housing projects would be completed in Lahore, six in Islamabad, four in Karachi and one in Peshawar. The HBFC would provide loan for the scheme to the purchaser and 10 percent to 15 percent down payment would be made at the time of allotment, while the rest of the amount would be paid in 15 years. The allottee would have to pay the price of the land also.

Sources said that contractors had put their major investment in all these 18 approved projects and the investment in other projects would be adjusted, the meeting decided.

The Housing Ministry informed the meeting that for the completion of all the 42 projects an amount of Rs. 5 billion would be needed. It stresses that the completion of all the projects at this time is not appropriate but in keeping the demand for houses in the urban areas. It also stressed that at least 18 projects should be completed, the sources added.

It has assessed that starting the projects would be a good omen, as it would start economic activity in the country and thousands of skilled and unskilled labour would get jobs in the projects.

The previous government of Nawaz Sharif has started all 42 projects under the 'Mera Ghar Scheme'. The Chief Executive in its meeting in November last with the Ministry of Housing has directed to review the scheme and made it commercially viable.

Addressing the meeting on the issue of Kashmir, Gen Pervez Musharraf said that Pakistan condemns all sorts of terrorism, including irresponsible statements and actions that were indicative of a terrorist mind-set. Rejecting Indian media propaganda against Pakistan, the Chief Executive said that the liberation movement in occupied Kashmir, is totally indigenous.

The UN is committed to enforcing the people of occupied Kashmir of their rights to self-determination, but successive Indian governments have consistently been denying this right to them.

Pakistan, he said, is extending moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of the occupied Kashmir valley who are victims of State terrorism by the Indian forces.

He stated that the Line of Control was spread over a porous mountainous region and despite our best efforts it was not possible to stop movement of people in such a large area. "If over 700,000 Indian troops in occupied Kashmir, who according to the Indians are there to stop infiltration cannot do so, why blame Pakistan", he remarked.

The Chairman, National Reconstruction Bureau, Lt. Gen S.T.H. Naqvi (Retd) briefed the meeting on devolution of power to the grass-roots level. A comprehensive discussion took place on different aspects of re-distribution of powers and responsibilities between the Centre, Provinces and Districts.

The National Database Organization Chairman briefed the meeting about the performance of the Organisation. The meeting expressed its satisfaction over the pace of work in connection with preparing an error-proof computerised database system of registered voters lists and delimitation of constituencies all over the country based on the 1998 census.

This task is being given the utmost priority by teams working round-the-clock as vast volumes of data concerning over 55 million to 60 million voters has to be checked, recorded and listed before being published for re-verification and finalisation.

The meeting was informed that the Organisation would provide authentic, transparent voters' lists to the government in order to ensure free and fair polls.