OKARA: Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed says 340 houses on five-marla plots and 519 houses on three-marla plots would be constructed on 52 acres land in Okara district under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.

He was addressing a gathering at the site selected for the housing scheme along Shergarh Road near Renala Khurd on Friday.

Mr Rasheed said in the housing scheme, the relatives of the influential persons would not be given houses. He said the PTI government was working hard to provide the houses purely on merit.

Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency Director General Liaqat Ali Chattha said the price of one marla in the private sector is Rs350,000 to Rs400,000 but the PTI government would take Rs80,000 per marla from each allottee in the housing scheme where electricity, water supply, sewerage, school, hospital and optic fibre facility would be provided.

He said the single storey house with one bedroom at three marla would cost Rs1.6m, double bed single storey house Rs1.93m, three bedroom double storey Rs2.3m, four bedroom double storey Rs2.6m, five marla one bedroom single storey Rs2m, two bedroom Rs2.5m, double storey Rs3.1m and double story four bedroom Rs3.5m

FOUND DEAD: A man was found dead near the Shergarh- Chonian road on Friday.

According to the first information report, Muhammad Iqbal had left his home at Chak 15/SP, district Pakpattan, for Darbar Karmanwala Sharif near the city on March 13 but did not reach his destination while his mobile phone was also switched off. The Shergarh police found the dead body on Friday and it was later identified as that of Iqbal by his son. The body had marks of torture and also a ticket for Lahore in the pocket. A case was registered on the report of Iqbal’s son, Lutfullah, against unidentified persons.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2019