03 May 2004	Monday	12 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 2: Speakers at the Third Convention and sixth Apex Body Meet of the International Conference of SAARC Diploma Engineers Forum (SDEF), demanded of the government to provide low-cost land and keep a check on prices of construction material so that everyone could own a home at an affordable cost.

They were expressing their views on Sunday, the second day of the three-day event organized by the Pakistan Diploma Engineers Federation (PDEF). They stressed that the essential infrastructure - water, power, sanitation, roads, schools, transport, etc. - should also be provided to the allottes of the land in the city's suburban areas in order to ensure shifting of people from densely populated localities to the downtown areas.

Federal Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah, who was chief guest of the session, said that the government had been attaching due priority to low-cost housing. He recalled that President Musharraf had had recently directed all chief ministers to allot 100 acres to the needy citizens in each district for the purpose.

He pointed out that the year 2004 had been declared a 'Housing Year', and said that as such, special allocations had been made in the budget. He said that once low-cost, and preferably free, land was made available, the house prices would start coming down.

The minister said construction was a major sector of national economy and it supported more than 45 downstream industries, not only creating a lot of employment opportunities and helping the economy, but also providing shelter to a big number of families.

Former chief of the Federal Council for Works and Housing Research N. H. Naqvi, giving data based on a housing census conducted in 1998, said that there was a shortage of more than four million housing units in the country. The number, he added, was increasing with each passing year because around three hundred thousand houses were being built in a year as against the actual requirement of over 570,000. This shows a deficit of 270,000 houses a year.

Earlier, a representative of the Association of Builders and Developers, Firdous S. Naqvi, cited the example of the work carried out by Akhtar Hameed Khan in Orangi, and said that the government should empower other such people so that they could follow his successful methods.

Mr Naqvi also suggested that construction of high-rises in slums be allowed with an aim of utilizing the expensive urban lands more effectively. He observed that people preferred to have residence near their workplaces because of a poor public transport system.

Mr R. M. P. R. Embogama of the Northwestern Provincial Road Development Department, Sri Lanka, gave a detailed presentation on the construction of different types of roads in accordance with their location, usage, etc.

A. B. M. Anwarul Haq of Bangladesh. in his presentation, stressed on human resource development to resolve certain issues. Chief of the PDEF Akhlaq Ahmad said that poverty, illiteracy and inadequate housing facilities were some of the major problems being faced by the Saarc member states, and that a multi-dimensional approach was needed to be adopted to overcome these problems.

SECOND SESSION: At the second working session, many delegates urged developing countries to explore non-conventional sources of energy. They pointed out that solar energy and wind energy were available in abundance, and if relevant technologies were developed, by the Saarc states, to utilize them effectively, each member could be able to save a huge amount in foreign exchange by lessening its dependence of imported oil and gas.

Such a huge amount thus saved could be utilized in poverty alleviation programmes, they added. Federal Minister for Communication Babar Khan Ghori, who was chief guest at the session, said that not only poverty, but other major issues were also being faced by the region.

In this regard, he pointed out that peoples of Saarc member states were suffering owing to illiteracy as well as backwardness in technology and industrial development. Furthermore, he added, a rapid population growth was a serious issue.

He was of the view that none of these issues could be resolved unless education and technical training at mass level were imparted and citizens were made capable to play an active role in the national economic growth.

Mr Ghori lauded efforts on the part of the diploma engineers and said that with their professional training and knowledge, they had made valuable contributions towards the objectives of meeting the challenges of the new era and improving the quality of life of the downtrodden masses.

He observed that a large number of diploma engineers had been working efficiently in the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority and various other organizations associated with his ministry. He said they had proved they were capable of accomplishing the task being undertaken by their counterparts in any other country.

Earlier, chief of the Poverty Alleviation Forum, Sindh, Brig (r) A. S. Nasir mentioned the examples from measures taken by his organization to improve the quality of life of a couple of villages in the interior of the province. He said that the results had turned these villages 'Islands of Prosperity'.

He pointed out that the PAF Sindh had selected a village, some 60 kilometres from Karachi, on the National Highway. An amount of Rs500,000 had been generated through donations and the provincial forests department was requested to plant 1,500 saplings there.

He said that the donated funds were spent on installing a windmill and a biogas plant. Local residents were advised to take proper care of the saplings which eventually grew high within the next two years.

People from other villages have now been flocking to this village where water, fodder, fuel and other things are available. The population has increased from 100 to about 1,000.

Brig Nasir pointed out that a little guidance, technological assistance and funding could greatly improve standard of living in villages within a short period of time.

Dr Waseem Akhtar of the University of Karachi said that the conventional energy sources like oil, gas, coal, etc, caused damage to the environment in shape of ultimate emission of harmful smoke. He also referred to the cost saying that almost all the Saarc members had been spending a huge amount in foreign exchange on imports. Others who spoke at the session included Saeed Malik and Akhlaq Ahmad.