LAHORE, Jan 25: The Punjab government is considering development of housing schemes through private-public partnership to save the land acquisition cost and amendments to the housing, cooperatives and revenue laws to check the malpractices of cooperative housing societies.
Speaking at a news conference here on Sunday, Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Syed Raza Ali Gilani said: "People resist the acquisition of their land for development or housing schemes and even go into litigation. The authorities also pay substantial land acquisition costs before starting the development work."
He said the authorities would not be required to acquire the land for development of housing schemes under the proposed public-private partnership scheme. They would enter into an agreement with landowners for the transfer of an agreed number/percentage of developed plots in return for surrender of the site. The authorities would thus save the money required for land acquisition without the risk of litigation with the landowners who would also get the agreed number of developed plots instead of a meagre compensation for their land.
He said the chief minister had already approved a public-private housing project in Gujranwala. The land for the project had been given by the people of Gujranwala without charging any cost. The minister said the government and the town/tehsil municipal administrations could also develop new housing schemes by collecting the price of plots from the public during different phases of development or the private sector could be facilitated to acquire and develop the land after giving it suitable incentives.
He said a committee headed by the Faisalabad Development Authority director-general had been constituted to propose suitable amendments to the cooperatives, revenue and housing laws for checking the malpractices of the cooperative housing societies. The committee would submit its report by Feb 15. He said the provincial government had taken a number of initiatives for clearing the housing backlog of 2.5 million units increasing by an average of 157,000 units per annum.
The town/tehsil municipal administrations established under the devolution plan did not have the capacity and resources to undertake the housing projects. The Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency had been constituted to formulate master plans for all districts in association with the local government department and assist the TMAs to execute housing projects.
He said the provincial government had also decided to develop 50,000 five-marla residential plots in villages for allotment to shelterless families free-of-cost. Facilities like paved streets, drains and water supply would be provided in such schemes with electricity if possible.
He said development of sasti bastis on the pattern of Karachi's Orangi Pilot Project and Khuda Ki Basti was also under consideration. He would visit both the projects next month. People would be allotted five-marla plots in such 'bastis' at a nominal price for building houses. Basic facilities like paved streets, water supply, drainage and electricity would also be provided.
The minister said the government had also decided to provide houses to its employees on retirement. Nespak would develop housing colonies and the employees retiring from December, 2003, onwards would be provided houses there on retirement. The price of houses would be deducted from the salaries of the employees in instalments, and they would be entitled to a loan facility in case of inability to pay the entire cost before retirement.
He said scale 1 to 7 employees would be allotted five-marla houses costing Rs733,000; scale 8 to 16 employees seven-marla houses, scale 17 and 18 employees 10-marla units and scale 19 to 22 one-kanal units. He said the chief minister had already inaugurated the first housing scheme for the government employees at Mohlanwal in Lahore. The scheme comprising 1,600 housing units would be completed by June, 2005.
He said the state land was being identified for the development of housing schemes for government employees. The government had already identified 23,000 kanals in 12 cities, including Lahore (406 kanal), Faisalabad (1,895 kanal), Bahawalpur (1,564 kanal), Rawalpindi (2,080 kanal), Sargodha (1,962 kanal), Dera Ghazi Khan (772 kanal), Gujranwala (2,575 kanal), Multan (223 kanal), Mianwali (66 kanal), Khanewal (3,510 kanal), Sahiwal (737 kanal) and Vehari (100 kanal). Reports in respect of availability of land in other cities were still awaited.
He said the government had also decided to develop housing colonies and commercial plots for the expatriates in big cities. Suitable sites were being located for development of the colonies comprising houses of 10 different designs. The buyers would be provided with the houses built in accordance with the designs of their choice.
WASA: The minister said a Rs12 billion package for the replacement of underground water supply lines for redressing the grievances in respect of supply of contaminated water in Lahore had been submitted for approval of the World Bank.
He said sewage and industrial waste water was being discharged in Lahore Canal at 140 spots. A system was being developed at a cost of Rs63 million for the disposal of this water into the sewerage system.
PHA: He said the Parks and Horticulture Authority had decided to link the Ravi National Park and the Jehangir's Tomb by the cable car system to be built on a build-operate-transfer basis. The National Park would be linked to the Kamran Baradari in Ravi bed at a cost of Rs600 million under the first phase of the cable car project. Second phase between Kamran Baradari and the tomb would cost Rs400 million.
The PHA had also decided to develop a picnic spot on 90 kanals in Jallo Park at a cost of Rs200 million on a BOT basis. The spot would have recreational facilities similar to Disney Land. Swimming pools were proposed to be built in Lahore Township, Lalazar Park, Thokar Niaz Beg, Wahdat Colony and Minar-i-Pakistan.