Senior Minister Chairs 90th Governing Body Meeting of PHATA

The 90th meeting of the governing body of the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA), held in the committee room of the Punjab Board of Investment & Trade under the chair of Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, approved three new low-cost housing schemes including Green Woods Housing Scheme (Forest Town) Rawalpindi, Tariq Sharif Housing Scheme Smart City Rawalpindi and Minar Housing City Housing Scheme Sheikhupura. It also approved PHATA’s administrative and financial matters.
The meeting decided to form monitoring committees for evolving an effective monitoring system that will send regular implementation reports every month. It also decided to create an effective mechanism in collaboration with the developers to facilitate the provision of roofs to the homeless strata. For this purpose, the laws would be amended if needed.
The senior minister asked for complete details about the 172 housing schemes of PHATA. He also asked for the details of the agreement with the Akhuwat organization to provide loans to the impecunious stratum for constructing houses in low-cost housing schemes.
Aslam Iqbal directed that the PHATA board should ensure the implementation of timelines of low-cost housing schemes along with the approval. Trees will never be cut down to build a new housing scheme; he stressed and made it clear that punitive action will be taken against the official if a tree is cut down. Developers have to plant trees in the allotted space in residential schemes along with efficient water supply and drainage systems in every residential scheme. Negligence in providing facilities to the developers of low-cost housing schemes will not be tolerated; he warned and added that 20% of the quota in residential schemes is reserved for the New Pakistan Housing Project.
DG PHATA Khalid Nazir Wattoo, board members, housing department officers and developers attended the meeting.