KARACHI, July 20: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal said that the development work of 24,762 plot of 80 sq-yards in Taiser Town Housing Scheme Phase-I, spread over 3,000 acres of land, would be completed by Dec 2007, while balloting for 30,000 plots of 120 sq-yards would be held soon.

He stated this while talking to newsmen during his visit to the Taiser Town here on Thursday. The nazim said that the city government was trying to complete this housing scheme at the earliest, so that the construction of houses there could be initiated soon so as to facilitate the citizens.He said that the city government in collaboration with a US-based private company would construct low-cost housing scheme at Taiser Town to provide living facilities to the citizens on affordable rates. All the houses constructed under the said scheme will be quake-proof, he added

The nazim on the occasion visited a low-cost model house on an 80-yard plot constructed by the company using the latest American technology. He informed that these houses could sustain earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale adding that such houses were also being constructed in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the city government wanted to help people in constructing their houses in this town that was why these model houses were constructed. Mr Kamal said that advertisements would also be placed in this regard and bank financing would be provided for the construction of such houses.

The nazim said that the city government would help low-income citizens in obtaining loans from the House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) and the city government would strictly monitor the quality and maintenance of houses built by the private sector.

Mr Kamal said that a two-room house using the American technology would cost only Rs300,000 to Rs350,000 and it would be completed in a short span of around three weeks.

He said that the construction cost under this technology was 40 per cent less as compared to the cost incurred using the traditional methods.

He said that the particular company had the capacity of building one to two thousand houses, adding that the city government had invited 10 more international firms to construct low-cost houses in the Taiser Town. The nazim said that land was also provided to some of them for building their model houses.

Mr Kamal said that they had provided a meeting place for the allottees and the builders, but the city government would have no role in building houses. “It just wants to facilitate the citizens”, he added.—Agencies