RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Mohsin Abubakar Sheikhani Patron-in-Chief, Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) on Thursday stressed the need of high-rise residential buildings to overcome the shortage of houses.

Talking to media at one of the state of the art high-rise residential projects ‘Al Khaleej Towers located at Azizabad, he dispelled the impression that skyscrapers were causing civic problems, saying that land prices were skyrocketing that tarnished the hope of middle class segment of the society to purchase own house for their family.

“It is unfortunate that the civic agencies are recovering billions of rupees on concerned account of infrastructure development but no one knows where that money goes as the problem of infrastructure is prevailing across the city,” he lamented.

“For example, a builder is paying more that Rs 20 million to civic agencies against a plot of 1000 square yards for infrastructure development and other civic facilities but nothing is being delivered”.

He said that shortage of housing units was presently roaming around eight million with an increase demand of around 1.5 million housing units per annum and added that high-rise residential projects are viable source to meet the said rising demand of shelters.

Commenting on the betterment charges, which were recently increased by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), he termed the increase in betterment charges by the SBCA as unjustified, saying that now an owner of a 120 square yard plot would not be able to build his

home as he/she had to pay over Rs 1.2 million on account of betterment charges.

On the other hand, the ABAD has proposed the government to build houses on 120 square yards of plot at the rate of Rs. 1.2 million to 1.5 million and we are waiting for the approval of this proposal.

He expressed the hope that the issue of the betterment charges would be solved soon.