ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other relevant departments to provide facilities to the overseas Pakistanis making investment in the construction sector. While chairing a weekly meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development, he directed that issuance of NOCs should be made easier as there was no justification for delay in providing new electricity connections to the consumers for housing projects because, currently, there was no shortage of electricity in the country.
The prime minister also directed that those applying for loans under Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme for construction of their own house must not be additionally burdened. The Ministry of Energy has been asked to develop procedure for establishing new grid stations, and also ensure implementation on it.
He further stated that lengthy phase of taking approval with regard to utility services must be made easier as existing procedure had been creating difficulties for the construction sector.
The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Division gave a briefing to the meeting about providing facilities of electricity and gas connections for new projects of construction sector.
The secretary petroleum informed the meeting that an online system was being devised for the NOC of gas connections, which would create facility for the consumers. The chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority informed the meeting with respect to mutual cooperation with the State Bank of Pakistan for Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.
He said that that authority would provide necessary information of interested applicants to the banks.
The secretary Ministry of Housing and Works informed the meeting about residential project, Pakistan Quarters, and stated that under the project 6,000 residential apartments would be constructed for which consultation process with the Sindh government was underway.
In the first phase, the meeting was informed 700 units would be constructed with the estimated cost of Rs4 billion, and work on the project would be started in next three months. He stated that after the approval, ministry auctioned over Rs13 billion five plots that would create Rs50 billion investment besides providing employment to 10,000 people. The meeting was attended by all the chief secretaries of the provinces though video links, and other officials of relevant ministries and departments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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