APROPOS the editorial ‘Five million houses’ (Sept 12). The factor of the informal sector in land dealings and the wide-based bureaucratic corruption involved in it has been rightly highlighted.

The building of five million housing units is a gigantic task. One will need to determine where these units are most needed and their break-up in numbers in the different provinces. Thereafter, the most important factor is the provision of utilities and civic amenities.

An accurate database will be required to record the availability plus sale and purchase of land to be able to pinpoint the areas where development is most needed in future. The provision of a complete and comprehensive database will also guarantee regularisation of real estate business.

Prior to undertaking this mission, a study be conducted on the housing units built over the past 20 years that still lay vacant owing to various bottlenecks. These units should be made available on immediate basis.

I have firm faith that if these measures are adopted, the gap between the demand and the availability of housing units will be met to a great extent.

Meena Aziz

Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018