LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht has said that in the first phase three-marla houses will be constructed in pre-urban areas on government land identified by the Board of Revenue.

“The Punjab government is providing an opportunity to low-income people to own house on easy instalments,” said he said while presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Finance and Development here on Thursday.

Punjab Industry and Commerce Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, Advisor to Chief Minister for Economic Affairs Dr Salman Shah, Punjab Chief Secretary Muhammad Jawad Rafique, Planning and Development Board Abdullah Chairman Abdullah Sumbal, Punjab Finance Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo and other secretaries of relevant departments.

The Finance Minister told the meeting that the government will provide land and revolving funds for the construction of houses, which will be completed in collaboration with the New Pakistan Housing Development Authority, Bank of Punjab and other banks. While addressing the meeting, the Punjab Industry Minister directed Punjab Housing and Urban Development Department to verify non-agricultural land in pre-urban areas before the commencement to avoid objections on the pretext of being declared as green-land.

Dr Salman Shah termed the scheme as a flagship project of Punjab government and stressed the need to expand its scope. In order to expand the scope of the scheme in future, the chief secretary directed the concerned departments to activate the Punjab Land Development Company.

The meeting took a number of decisions, including approving the purchase of equipment for heart surgery at Children’s Hospital Multan, additional funds of Rs 8.913 million for payments dues to the Punjab Agriculture Department (pending since the financial year 2017-18) and a supplementary grant for Punjab Population Welfare Department. Funds demanded by the Punjab Small Industries Corporation for payment of pensions and preparation of Business Phase One scheme. It also decided that the burn unit of Jinnah Hospital will provide special treatment facilities to young children while a burn unit will be set up at the Children Hospital.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021