KARACHI, Dec. 14: The Kanooz Group of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed an agreement with the city district government to build 7,000 low-cost housing units in Korangi.
Owned by the Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Meteb Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the group has shown interest to invest 100 million dollars in the housing sector.
The agreement documents were signed in the presence of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad by the city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, on behalf of the city government and Brig (retd) Mohammad Azal, as representative of the group in Pakistan, at the Governor's House.
Saudi Consul-General Dr Hasan Abdul Rashid Attar, Deputy Nazim Tariq Hasan and other concerned officials were also present. Talking to a group of journalists after the signing of the agreement, Governor Ibad said it was a good beginning that low-cost units are being constructed which would not only resolve the housing problem of the poor, but would also help generate employment for thousands of people in ancillary industries.
He said that similar other schemes are in the pipeline which were being worked out and would be launched soon. City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said this project was part of the "Naya Ghar" housing scheme and the group had been provided 100 acres in Korangi No 10 for its low-cost project.
The construction work would start soon. Hopefully its ground-breaking ceremony would be performed within two to three months, he said and added that the group had committed to provide 88 residential units free of cost for deserving widows and handicapped persons.
To a question, the Nazim said the apartments would be built in phases and would be completed within five years. These apartments, he said, would be given on easy instilments and would provide residential facilities to about 50,000 people. To another question, he said that the land would not be transferred to the group, but would remain property of the government until allotment of the units.
According to details of the agreement, the construction, as well as its internal and external development work, would be done by Kanooz group while the ownership of commercial and amenity plots would rest with the city government. Advisor to Chief Minister Waseem Akhtar said low-cost house schemes were the need of the hour to eliminate the menace of Kachchi Abadis from the metropolis.
APPOINTMENTS: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has decided to fill the vacant posts of doctors in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital through Sindh Public Service Commission to ensure merit and transparency in recruitment process, adds PPI.
In a letter to Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Salim Khan, the nazim demanded to fill the vacant seats of 22 specialists, 10 senior registrars and 29 RMOs immediately through public service commission to overcome the shortage of doctors in hospital, which is affecting the performance of hospital.
It is worth mentioning that all the appointments were used to be made directly in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. People had always expressed their reservations over these appointments.
In contrary to direct appointments, City Nazim adopted the channel of public service commission for appointments of grade 17 and above. He opined that appointments on basis of recommendations ruined the government departments in past and jobless youth received nothing but disappointment. But now jobs in all the departments of city government, he added, would be given on merit and excesses committed in past would be redressed.
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