ABAD, government get in lockstep to solve housing crisis.

Builders and developers are upbeat about the pace of development in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP). However, they are worried about the slow pace of development in Sindh.

The government had announced a relief package of Rs100 billion for the construction sector in April, which was to be followed by the building of five million houses under the NPHP. Builders were bound to register their projects on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) portal called Iris by Dec 31 and complete the grey structure by Sept 22.

Giving an overall picture of the registration of projects on the FBR portal, Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) Chairman Fayyaz Ilyas claimed that more than 300 projects have been registered with NPHP and under the special package for the construction industry.

'We are expecting that by Dec 31, this number will be more than 500. This will lead to more than Rs600 billion investment,' he said.

Builders and developers are facing problems in getting approval for building plans in Sindh due to various reasons. However, work in other parts of the country, especially Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has begun.

'This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that a government has taken the right steps to deal with the housing problems,' says ABAD Chairman

The actual problem is the slow bureaucratic way of work as well as vested interest. But the federal government is working hard for the revival of construction activities with the help of the private sector. Giving an example, he said the vice chairman of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has been appointed from the private sector. Now the LDA is approving projects within 45 days, he said.

Mr Ilyas said Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have changed their draconian laws. So builders and developers are getting approvals easily. In Sindh, builders are facing problems and the federal government could do little to remove bottlenecks after the 18th Amendment.

In Balochistan, Gwadar is the main city for construction activities. The provincial government has established the Gwadar Development Authority, which is working well, he claimed.

ABAD has pledged projects worth Rs1.37 trillion to boost the construction industry and other economic activities. 'We are waiting for approvals of building plans in Sindh, especially in Karachi where housing demand is rising with the population increase.'

More than 300 projects of ABAD members in Sindh are in...