THIS refers to the news report ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme to be presented in parliament for debate: minister’ (Nov 8). It says that about 80,000 people have applied for the housing units in the first batch of seven selected cities so far.

More details of the project keep coming such as the requirement of 20 per cent down payment by applicants. Many of such details were not mentioned in the forms earlier.

While the land is still in the phase of being selected and marked out for the project, my suggestion is that it should be divided into zones for residence and commerce.

Zones must be created for industries that will be involved in the construction of these housing units. The residential and commercial areas should be conveniently yet strategically located in the project, separated by clearly marked zones.

This will ensure clean air and environment around the housing unit as well as creating job opportunities with ease of approach for the people who will be building and later inhibiting these houses. Or else small factories and manufacturing units may spring up in land adjoining the housing units as they always do when a housing society or squatter begins to develop.

If this step is not taken during the planning phases we may end up with cluster of factories in the residential area such as the ones we witness in the residential areas of Manghopir.

Such manufacturing units pose health hazard to the residents with the effluents they emit apart from contributing to the destruction of infrastructure within the residential area.

Meena Aziz
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2018