Marriyum to open three-day expo, Ahsan to chair
CPEC seminar; ABAD chairman says low-income people
to be given 5-marla houses for Rs15-19 lakh
ISLAMABAD: A three-day expo about the construction sector will start at Pak-China Centre here from Friday (today) under the auspices of the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) and the Jang Media Group.
ABAD Chairman Mohsin Sheikhani and Islamabad Deputy Mayor Zeeshan Naqvi briefed the media about the expo here on Thursday. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb will inaugurate the event.
During expo, two seminars will also be held about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and low-cost housing schemes. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal will chair the seminar on CPEC.
Sheikhani and Zeeshan Naqvi told the press that the expo would continue from March 24 to 26, and the most important aspect of the event would be the launch of low-cost housing schemes in the country. The country needs 12 million more houses to provide people with their own accommodation, but the government was unable to accomplish this task on its own. That’s why, the added, ABAD was going to launch the initiative. They said the poor segments of society and salaried persons would be registered, and under the scheme they would be provided with a five-marla house in minimum amount ranging from Rs15 lakh to Rs19 lakh.
They said those living in katchi abadis also needed houses of their own, They said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would also be signed with the House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) for provision of loans on low mark-up rate to people from low income groups.
They said they have plans to build five lakh houses in Islamabad and one lakh houses would be constructed in the first phase. Mohsin Sheikhani said they were in contact with the government already and help would be sought for provision of utilities including electricity, gas and water.
Deputy Mayor Zeeshan Naqvi said the Municipal Corporation Islamabad would extend all help for construction of low-cost houses. He said the Islamabad affectees would also have quota in such schemes.
Arif Jeeva said on the occasion that the government should reduce tax and mark-up rate for such housing schemes. Hassan Bakhshi said that low-cost housing schemes would also be launched in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and other cities after completion of the scheme in Islamabad.
