Sajid Irfan

The federal government has pumped an additional grant of Rs3,970 million into Quetta Kuchlak housing project and directed the Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF) to ensure an early completion of the project, reports WealthPK. The government had earlier allocated Rs4,000 million for the project. However, it slowed down, as the funding was not sufficient. The total funding allocated for the project now is Rs7,945.49 million.

Talking to WealthPK, spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing and Works said Kuchlak the housing project was started in 2019. The scheme envisions construction of four different categories of houses based on the plot size. Category-I house has a size 45’x90’ and there will be 55 houses. Category-II house has a size of 40’x80’ and there will be 80. Category-III house has a size of 30’x60’. Category-IV house has a size of 25’x45’ and there will be 218.

“There is 30% quota for the federal government employees, 30% for the provincial government employees, 30% for the general public, 5% for Shuhada (Hazara community) and 5% for the employees of the Ministry of Housing and Works. In this project, 714 grey structure houses under four different categories and 636 apartments – comprising two and three-bed apartments – will be delivered. A total of 1,350 units will be constructed by the PHAF,” the spokesperson added.

“The Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHA-F) has begun allocating apartments on a first-come first-served basis. An apartment’s overall worth is PKR4.39 million, which is less than the market rate. The spokesperson said a special quota had also been allotted to the Hazara community Shuhada (martyrs). The other allottees include federal and provincial employees, general public and the employees of the housing ministry.

The PHAF has offered membership/allotment of houses and flats to the heirs of Hazara community martyrs. The allocation is only available to the families of martyrs who died before June 30, 2019. The spokesman further said the federal minister for housing had assured the allottees that their interests would be looked after by the ministry and no delaying tactics would be tolerated and the project would be completed on the stipulated time.

“The federal minister has expressed his satisfaction over the pace of the project and said its completion will prove beneficial for the government employees lacking their own residential units,” said the spokesperson.

“The federal minister said the government is taking keen interest to solve all the financial and political issues of Balochistan. Owing to these issues, the province cannot progress. The minister also said various uplift projects will be included in the next fiscal year which will bring Balochistan on a par with the other provinces,” he added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPak