ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: The centre has directed the provinces to prepare their separate housing action plans to meet the shortage of housing units in the country, a reliable source from the housing ministry told Dawn on Monday.

The source said the government had adopted a policy to set up metropolitan/district/local housing delivery goals by identifying and allocating land for housing purpose.

All provinces have been directed that housing action plans should also cover safety and health standard levels and modes of services, utilities and infrastructure.

The action plan would also envisage slum improvement, slum clearance and conservation projects for better housing, the source said.

The provinces were asked that the action plans should provide comprehensive indigenously based programmes, strategies and approaches for enhancing quality of life in regularized Kutcha Abadis and slums.

The plan should also discourage the occurrence of Kutcha Abadis and slums, the centre directed.

According to the directives of the centre the role of the local government in urban and rural areas was paramount in enabling, promoting and facilitating the provision of housing to all segments of the population within their respective jurisdictions.

Under the directives, the provinces will coordinate housing activities province-wide in provincial departments, local government agencies and other stockholders.

They will also innovate or develop ways and means for easy access to land by both public and private sectors. Proper land information system would also be instituted by the respective development agencies, the source said.

The source said the provincial governments would promote enhanced usage of locally produced building materials by ensuring appropriate quality and price structure.

Provinces will initiate preparation of master plans of all urban and rural areas along with enforcement of building and zoning regulations.

Provinces have been also been asked to prepare an annual report on the state of housing in the provinces.

The source said the federal government would also make necessary legislations and active programmes for implementation of all housing policies and projects relating to the federal government.

The federal government would establish a national institutional, resource mobilisation and funding framework for the housing sector including affordable housing finance.

The source said institutional set up in the housing sector was fragmented, overlapping, inconsistently funded and lacked clearly defined roles and lines of accountability.

The centre also urged the provinces to improve the quality of life in the burgeoning problems of slums and Kutcha Abadis.