KARACHI, July 30: The Federal Minister for Housing and Works, Safwanullah, said on Saturday that the country, at present, faced a shortfall of six million housing units, adding that the government had decided to provide special incentives to the housing sector to bridge the gap and introduce cheaper housing schemes. He said this during a visit to the three-day International Housing Industry Exhibition held at the Expo Centre.

The exhibition, he observed, would play a cardinal role in overcoming the shortage of houses in the country and meeting requirement for new units. He appreciated the holding of the exhibition by the Karachi Building Control Authority and hoped that it would open new vistas of development in the housing and construction sectors.

Mr Safwanullah pointed out that there would be greater need for housing units for low income people during the next two years. He was of the view that because of the old and obsolete infrastructure in Karachi, the housing industry could not pickup fast.

But, with the said exhibition, construction activities would get a boost and witness a boom. He said the KBCA Chief Controller, Brig A.S. Nasir, had organised the exhibition at a time when there was a great need to acknowledge the importance and promote the cause of the housing and construction industries in Pakistan.

He asked the government of Sindh to take steps to improve the existing infrastructure and also provide new infrastructure for upcoming schemes. The federal minister observed that the provision of modern facilities was not kept in view during the construction of high-rise buildings, which was a matter of concern.

He, however, hoped that the exhibition would pave the way for construction of quality high-rise buildings with provisions of modern facilities. He said that the exhibition would prove to be a landmark in the right direction, adding that it was a good omen that ABAD had played an important role in organising the event.—APP