ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed to complete the digitalisation of land record of Lahore as early as possible so that a common man can get relief against land grabbers and encroachments.
The prime minister issued these directions while chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Housing, Construction, and Development.
The prime minister reiterated that promoting vertical housing in the form of multi-storey buildings is a priority of the government, which will not only fulfil the needs of growing population, but also ensure effective utilisation of land as per digitalised cadastral mapping of cities. He said that digitisation of the land record will bring transparency in transfer of properties.
The prime minister was briefed about the ongoing cadastral mapping exercise in Lahore and told that the project is right on track and would be completed by 15th of the next month. He was also informed about the progress made on various housing projects being completed under the Ministry of Housing and Works.
It was told that the ministry is constructing 86,323 housing units at a cost of 463 billion rupees. Under these projects, construction activities are getting impetus, which resultantly create over 200,000 job opportunities in the country. Besides, the construction activities will create economic activities worth over Rs2.3 trillion.
Earlier addressing the launching ceremony of the cadastral map of Islamabad on Wednesday, the prime minister said the use of technology will also help defeat land grabbers as now anyone can get information of plots and other lands online.
The prime minister said that cadastral mapping of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi will be completed by November this year. He added that the mapping of entire Pakistan will be completed within six months after Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. “Transparency is a very big issue in Pakistan… lots of people became rich and powerful by grabbing land,” he said.
He said that in the next phase, the government is working to develop a system that would enable the transfer of land online from home. The prime minister said that those who are involved in land grabbing do not want digitalisation in Pakistan as it would create lots of problems for them.
“I know in which city you’re having most problems because it will create problems for some people. Because of lack of transparency, many people made lots of money and became powerful,” said the prime minister.
Saying that overseas Pakistanis are the most valuable asset of the country, the prime minister said, “We need to create an environment for them so they can invest safely in Pakistan. Most of them purchase land and plan to build a house but they are afraid. Many times they go abroad and when they return someone else is living in their residence.”
