ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the development of the construction sector is vital for stabilization of the country’s economy.
Chairing the weekly meeting of National Coordination Committee for Housing, Construction and Development in Islamabad, the prime minister said promotion of construction activities would not only speed up the economic activities but also provide employment opportunities.
The prime minister was told that the government had provided Rs5 billion to a civil society organization Akhuwat for disbursement of interest-free loans to the low-income class for building their houses.
The representative of Akhuwat told the meeting that they would require Rs 2 billion for the current year which the government would provide. Around 16,000 housing units would be built under Akhuwat project by end of this year.
The Sindh chief secretary told the prime minister that around 258 construction projects of Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) were awaiting approval in Sindh which also sought the federal government’s support in this regard.
The prime minister directed the chief secretary to accelerate the approval process of the projects. He viewed that the construction activity would not only accelerate the economic activity but also create jobs for the people of respective provinces.
The representatives of different development authorities apprised the prime minister of the progress on all approved societies. The prime minister emphasized to ensure online availability of the details of all approved societies and projects on the websites to protect the people particularly overseas Pakistanis from any fraudulent activity.
Briefing the meeting on one window operation and automation of digitization of land record, the Capital Development Authority chairman said a case tracking and management system had been developed. He said the process of properties’ transfer and verification had also been automated.
The CDA chief said an online payment mechanism had been introduced for the purchase of the properties. The meeting was told that from January this year, the CDA had approved 403 construction projects which would bring in Rs735.5 million for the civic body.
The prime minister directed all the chief secretaries to keep a vigil on the approval process of development projects to avoid any delay. He also called for devising a future strategy for unapproved or illegal housing societies.
