PM Khan says government would provide apartments to slum dwellers

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government will provide apartments to dwellers of katchi abadis (slums) in near future, ARY News reported Monday.

Addressing the launch ceremony of State Bank’s financing scheme for low-cost housing in Islamabad, PM Khan said the government in collaboration with the private sector would introduce modern constructions in the slums.

“No government in past thought about doing something for katchi abadis, but we are developing a comprehensive plan for them”, he said.

The premier said that the government would grant ownership to the slum dwellers.

“The thinking of present government is very different from those of the past”, he said.

Prime Minister Khan said China had brought 700 million people out of poverty. “Pakistan needs to follow the same model,” he said.

The prime minister said low-cost housing scheme was aimed at eradicating poverty and serving the lower class.

“A large number of people in Pakistan cannot afford to buy a home … and if we don’t change our policies, only a fraction of population would be able to live in ‘better’ homes”, he said.

The prime minister said a model was being formulated to help farmers so they could buy a place for living.

He also said that the government was determined to promote vertical growth in cities instead of horizontal.

“We will allow the construction of high-rises in commercial areas to accommodate more people in smaller areas of land”, he said.