Muhammad Zahid Rifat
EVERYONE in urban and rural areas of Pakistan needs shelter, preferably own, be it of small, medium or large size. But with the passage of time this was becoming impossible for more and more people particularly those with meagre resources both in the public and private sectors as the cost of the land, even in the far off areas from the main cities as well as of construction material is going up and high with every passing day. During election campaign for July 2018 general election and also in its election manifesto, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) headed by Imran Khan had among other several promises announced to launch a comprehensive housing programme for building as many as five million housing units for the middle class and lower income segments of the society in five years on coming into power through the involvement and cooperation of the private sector and that this will boost the industrial sector, create jobs and provide much needed and desired shelter to the homeless low resources people across the country.
How the housing industry had become high on his priority list originally? Prime Minister Imran Khan is on record to have said in April 2019 while formally launching the Naya Pakistan Hosing Scheme. “My first priority was health, education and employment, but then I found out about a soon-to-be retiring government employee who was told that his family could retain their government residence if his son got inducted in the same department if he had died while still in government employment, then that man had jumped off a building the very next day. It was then that I realized how difficult it is for the salaried class to gather funds needed for building houses”.
Pakistan needs 10 million houses. Pakistan has the highest rate of urbanization in South Asia. As per Population Census of 2017, urbanization had increased from 32.52 per cent to 36.38 per cent during 1998 to 2017. However, based on a modified definition of urban settlement, ratio of urban to rural population could be 40 per cent or even higher, as such it is estimated that by 2025 nearly half of the country’s population will be living in the cities. Major housing initiative, reviving the pro-poor housing facilities in the country, is making impressive and appreciable headway through determined, committed and forward looking efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team in an undeterred manner in furtherance of provision of shelter to homeless poor people to the maximum extent possible. This is like a ray of hope for the lower middle class income groups yearning to live a dignified life in their own shelter. Against all heavy odds and challenges, the incumbent federal government is striving hard to provide low cost houses to the deserving people in furtherance of the vision of the Prime Minister on the model of Medina Welfare State.
For achieving this cherished objective, the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority was tasked which has already launched different schemes in line with the targets set by the federal government and also pursuing joint ventures on private land, government-to-government programmes on the government land. For accelerating the work, Naya Pakistan Housing Development Authority was established in the right earnest. Furthermore, the federal government through the Authority has also revived various projects, impended previously, such as Green Enclave-1 Bhara Kahu project in December 2019 and allotted 3282 plots to the applicants, 5198 plots were allotted under Sky Garden after its revival in July 2020 and another 3240 plots under Lifestyle Residency Apartments G-13 scheme, Kashmir Avenue G-15 Islamabad scheme, 3432 apartments are to be built under Chaklala Heights Rawalpindi scheme, 3945 apartments under Skyline Apartments Islamabad scheme and another 1258 under Lifestyle Residency Lahore scheme.
The federal government has also signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with the provincial government for developing government-to-government projects targeting 16000 apartments for fishermen, 18000 apartments and 12000 plots for members of general public in Balochistan, 750 apartments in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa and 798 apartments in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. For boosting the housing and construction-related activities in the country, the federal government had announced heavily incentivised relief package for the construction industry during pandemic of COVID-19 which has already started bearing fruit. The major housing initiative will also be benefitting more than 40 allied industries directly and indirectly besides creating a lot of employment opportunities in the country.
According to the information available from official sources, during the last couple of months or so total of 127 construction projects valuing Rs 63 billion have been registered and another 114 projects costing Rs 109 billion are under process. Under these projects, 44 would be developed in Lahore, 61 in Karachi, 30 in Islamabad, 19 in Rawalpindi and 10 in Faisalabad and the rest from other cities. The construction industry package included tax incentives, waivers and subsidies in sales tax, capital gain tax and withholding tax. Fixed tax at the rate of per square yard or per square meter from the investors. Those investing in Naya Pakistan Housing Programme will be given as much as 90 per cent rebate in fixed tax. The package also included subsidy on 5 and 10 marlas houses, allocation of 5 per cent banks financing for house building and a one window operation to facilitate the builders.
The Naya Pakistan Housing Developing Authority would help address the country’s annual requirements of 400000 units. PM Imran Khan besides his other heavy commitments on internal and external fronts is taking due interest in the implementation of the PTI’s government ambitious pro-poor people venture and chairing meetings also at the appropriate level in this regard. Banking sector headed by the State Bank of Pakistan and including National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited, Meezan Bank, Bank Al-Habib and the Bank of Punjab among others also are extending all their cooperation and assistance in pursuance of the federal government instructions and keeping the PM update regarding all kinds of facilitation to the poor people in securing bank loans ensuring in particular that their self-respect is duly taken care by all concerned. There is a lot more details about different aspects of the major housing initiative but these are being avoided for want of space. The major initiative is bound to succeed in due course with the blessings of Almighty Allah and continued determination, commitment and pledge on the part of the Prime Minister, his team and all others concerned directly and indirectly.
—The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
