Amid an unnerving housing crisis, a commendable idea has been presented during the three-day International Housing Expo 22 to set up a housing bank to promote low cost housing in the country and support low income segments of the society in the face of an awesome dearness of commodities.
\nThe idea has come at a time when inflation is high and a multitude of people, particularly those who have lost their houses to natural disasters around the country, longs for having their own shelters, but who are clueless how to fulfill their dream.
\nThe first session of housing expo was dedicated to discuss \u201cLow Cost Housing and Financing Frameworks\u201d, while the second session focused on \u201cUrban Governance, Urban Development and Regulation\u201d. The panelists presented useful proposals to set up a housing bank to promote low cost housing and meet the housing needs of the people of the country.
\nIt is an open secret that despite multiple laws governing building construction, private housing societies have multiplied a great deal, but many among them are alleged to have been founded without fulfilling the criteria. Such housing societies are also alleged to have promoted unplanned construction, which are eating up precious agricultural lands.
\nHowever, legal experts are of the view that multiple laws and regulations have created confusion in the housing sector.
\nDuring the past couple of years, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has carried out multiple crackdowns and operations after a majority of the housing societies were found to operating without legal documents in various districts. The step was taken to regulate the housing sector and protect the farm lands to be used for construction purposes, which has become a major sources of environmental and land degradation.
\nAccording to the North-West Frontier Province Local Government (Site Development Schemes) Rules 2005, all builders must obtain permission and a no-objection certificate (NOC), before construction begins. The law states: No application should be entertained if the builder fails to present the required documents, including the mandatory NOC.
\nThe law also makes it mandatory for the developers to share construction plans, including the division of plots, provision for streets, drains, open spaces, and reservation of land for public utility services. However, media reports have cited relevant officials who are familiar with the details claiming these documents are never submitted to the authorities for approval.
\nHowever, during the housing expo in Islamabad, federal minister for law Azam Nazeer Tarar has assured that the building byelaws would be amended for commercial and industrial buildings to cater to the needs of current business and housing requirements.
\nIftikhar Ali Shallwani, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, has said at the housing expo that the agricultural land, which is being converted into housing societies, should be a cause of concern.
\nAs such, the government at the center and all the provinces should proceed to discourage the trend of unplanned housing construction in the urban centers and the rural localities to protect the agricultural lands from being turned into jungles of brick and plaster. Policy measures should be taken at the earliest to ensure optimum use of agricultural lands for farming purposes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Amid an unnerving housing crisis, a commendable idea has been presented during the three-day International Housing Expo 22 to set up a housing bank to promote low cost housing in the country and support low income segments of the society in the face of an awesome dearness of commodities. The idea has come at a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[11811],"class_list":{"0":"post-300665","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial","7":"tag-housing-bank"},"yoast_head":"\n