ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered the speedy completion of the ongoing low-cost housing projects of the federal government, besides asking for cooperation with the private sector to increase investment in housing projects. The Prime Minister also directed that third-party verification of the construction of federal government housing projects be ensured. The Prime Minister directed the evaluation meeting of ongoing projects at the Ministry of Housing. The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar and other senior officials, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The Ministry of Housing briefed the Prime Minister on the progress of ongoing reforms and policy measures in his various departments. It was announced that consultations with all interested parties on the amendments to the State Housing Policy 2001 have been completed and the process of its final approval will be completed by March 2025 as directed by the Prime Minister. It was further informed that the system of allotment of houses to officials and allotment of rents has been digitized which would help eliminate corruption and bring transparency in the system. The Prime Minister was also briefed about the ongoing and future projects of Pakistan Housing Authority. The meeting was told that work on 630 low-cost housing units in Kuchlak, Quetta and 4,112 housing units in Islamabad is progressing rapidly. The Prime Minister has ordered the expedited completion of these projects and third-party verification. It was further informed that work on 5,728 low-cost housing units in Peshawar will begin soon, while work on 5,600 housing units in Rawalpindi and Islamabad will begin in the near future. For all these residential projects, the Prime Minister directed the search for the services of renowned construction companies. According to him, renowned international construction companies should be chosen for projects for civil servants and the public. The Prime Minister said that tendering of construction companies should be done through a transparent process and according to quality, and these projects should be completed within the stipulated time. The Prime Minister was informed in detail about the affairs of the Federal Office for Accommodation of Government Employees. The meeting was briefed on the digitization and reforms of the Federal Government Staff Accommodation Authority, online payments, digital grievance redressal systems, single window operations, real-time monitoring, geo-tagging and other reforms being implemented to increase transparency. and efficiency in the system. The meeting was also briefed on various projects under the construction of international standard facilities in Islamabad, including a five-star hotel, hospital, IT park, housing complexes and international standard schools. The Prime Minister ordered the submission of a comprehensive plan detailing the construction costs and time required for these projects. The meeting was informed about the demise of OZP and other dysfunctional organizations. The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the reduction of corruption due to the demise of PWDs and other dysfunctional organizations in the department and also acknowledged the digitization of the current official system of allocating apartments. The prime minister said he would take all possible steps to ensure affordable housing for every citizen of Pakistan, adding that reforms were being adopted to curb corruption in low-cost housing projects for citizens. He noted that due to the government’s efforts, Pakistan’s image on the global landscape has been restored and the country has hosted events such as international cricket matches, other sports and global conferences. The Prime Minister ordered the establishment of international standard hotels, hospitals and other facilities to facilitate foreign guests and asked the ministry for a comprehensive plan in this regard. He also ordered the formulation of a national housing policy by March for approval, while public housing projects under the ministry should be completed quickly to ensure affordable housing for the working class. The Prime Minister also directed the establishment of a committee for the dissolution of dysfunctional organizations and reforms in the Ministry of Housing and other departments. The committee would assist not only the Ministry of Housing but also other ministries in implementing the necessary reforms.
