Mohammed Badrul Ahsan :
The government is set to adopt a National Housing Policy incorporating provision to establish a fund by mobilising money from international market as well as donor agencies, sources said.
According the National Housing Policy (NHP) 2016, the government has decided to adopt the policy for ensuring affordable housing facility for every citizen, but after protecting the environment, officials said.
The new policy would also have a series of measures, including formation of an urban land bank with a data base on land as well as provisions for tax emption to attract more private investments in the sector.
Besides, It would suggest enacting adequate laws related to construction of houses and development in rural areas in a planned manner for preventing misuse of land.
However, the authorities concerned recently forwarded the draft of the new policy to the ministry of public works and housing (MoPWH) for gazette notification.
“We hope the ministry will issue a gazette notification soon,” National Housing Authority (NHA) Chairman Khandaker Akhtaruzzaman told The New Nation.
Officials said the process to publish the policy is almost complete with its legal vetting and expressed the hope that it would be published anytime next month (January next).
The cabinet had approved the draft of the policy on April 25 this year, facilitating the authorities to complete other processes before the gazette notification.
The NHA chairman said the NHP 2016 recommended ensuring wider involvement of the private sector like financial institutions and easy access to soft loans while considering housing as an “exclusive sector” in the national development plan.
He said it also recommended formation of a National Housing Committee (NHC), preferably headed by the Prime Minister, and explained that the committee is to monitor and assess the activities to see whether those were going consistent with the policy.
The committee would also prepare an implementation performance report annually, besides regular monitoring reports.
Considering housing as an inseparable part of human settlement, cultural and economic development of the country, the government prepared the NHP 2016 in light with the recommendations by the United Nations (UN).
There was a shortfall of 3.1 million housing units during the time of preparation of NHP 1993. By the year 2000, this deficit increased to 5.0 million units, according to an estimate.
It was considered vital to build 6.2 million pucca units by the year 2010. Urban areas of the country have a need of about 10 million units by the year 2015.
The city planners have welcomed the NHP 2016. They, however, suggested implementing the policy (NHP, 2016) properly.
“It is a good initiative. The administrative and organisational capacities should be strengthened to implement the policy properly,” Sheltech managing director Dr Toufiq M. Seraj told The New Nation.
The government is set to adopt a National Housing Policy incorporating provision to establish a fund by mobilising money from international market as well as donor agencies, sources said.
According the National Housing Policy (NHP) 2016, the government has decided to adopt the policy for ensuring affordable housing facility for every citizen, but after protecting the environment, officials said.
The new policy would also have a series of measures, including formation of an urban land bank with a data base on land as well as provisions for tax emption to attract more private investments in the sector.
Besides, It would suggest enacting adequate laws related to construction of houses and development in rural areas in a planned manner for preventing misuse of land.
However, the authorities concerned recently forwarded the draft of the new policy to the ministry of public works and housing (MoPWH) for gazette notification.
“We hope the ministry will issue a gazette notification soon,” National Housing Authority (NHA) Chairman Khandaker Akhtaruzzaman told The New Nation.
Officials said the process to publish the policy is almost complete with its legal vetting and expressed the hope that it would be published anytime next month (January next).
The cabinet had approved the draft of the policy on April 25 this year, facilitating the authorities to complete other processes before the gazette notification.
The NHA chairman said the NHP 2016 recommended ensuring wider involvement of the private sector like financial institutions and easy access to soft loans while considering housing as an “exclusive sector” in the national development plan.
He said it also recommended formation of a National Housing Committee (NHC), preferably headed by the Prime Minister, and explained that the committee is to monitor and assess the activities to see whether those were going consistent with the policy.
The committee would also prepare an implementation performance report annually, besides regular monitoring reports.
Considering housing as an inseparable part of human settlement, cultural and economic development of the country, the government prepared the NHP 2016 in light with the recommendations by the United Nations (UN).
There was a shortfall of 3.1 million housing units during the time of preparation of NHP 1993. By the year 2000, this deficit increased to 5.0 million units, according to an estimate.
It was considered vital to build 6.2 million pucca units by the year 2010. Urban areas of the country have a need of about 10 million units by the year 2015.
The city planners have welcomed the NHP 2016. They, however, suggested implementing the policy (NHP, 2016) properly.
“It is a good initiative. The administrative and organisational capacities should be strengthened to implement the policy properly,” Sheltech managing director Dr Toufiq M. Seraj told The New Nation.
