{"id":4780,"date":"2022-03-16T06:23:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T01:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infocus.pk\/?p=4780"},"modified":"2023-02-05T00:45:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:45:22","slug":"high-cost-construction-materials-make-low-cost-housing-impossible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infocus.pk\/?p=4780","title":{"rendered":"High-cost Construction Materials make Low-cost Housing Impossible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though, affordable or low-cost housing have been a popular slogan of every government in Pakistan, but it was the Prime Minster Imran Khan who declared it as his \u201cflagship project\u201d in his pledge to construct 5 million houses. However, he and his federal government poorly failed to fulfill the pledge. Keeping aside political justifications, one of the main reasons of their failure to implement housing policy is the unchecked and unstoppable high-cost of construction materials which has made not only low-cost sheltering but even standard housing projects impossible in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infocus.pk in his earlier write-up <\/a>already pointed out the trend of rising construction materials cost and wrote that the low-cost housing seemed no longer \u201cviable\u201d in Pakistan. And, as the prices of construction material have been increased sizably by manufacturers this week, the Chairman of Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) Mohsin Shaikhani has turned up to criticize this surge and said \u201cforget the low-cost housing even a home for everyone in Pakistan is not possible after these hikes in prices\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Steel Sector’ Rigidity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During this week the prices of construction material have been sizably increased by steel and cement manufacturers. First steel makers have increased the prices of steel bars by Rs 8,000 in less than four days to bring the cost at Rs 208,000 per ton. Giving justification the steel manufacturers said the steel bar prices have been revised due to \u201cescalating energy prices and freight rates\u201d. However, it is important to mention the price of steel bars in November 2020 was just Rs110, 000 per ton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the steel prices hike, Mohsin Shaikahni has suggested that the government should reduce regulatory duty and anti-dumping duty which would bring the price of steel bars subsequently down. However, the Chairman ABAD adds \u201cat present government seems unable to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cement Industry\u2019 Cartelization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Second, the price of cement has been increased this week from Rs 787 to Rs 850 per bag of 50 kg. As per data of Sensitive Price Index, the price have jumped enormously up by 29.30% if compared with March 11, 2021. Cement manufactures blame the \u201crise in coal prices, squeezed supplies and other similar issues\u201d have caused a surge in cement prices which have subsequently led to an increased cost of construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Mohsin Shaikhani has an otherwise opinion. He says \u201cif the cement manufacturers cite growing imported coal\u2019 prices as a reason for jump in prices, why not they use local coal which will reduce their manufacturing cost substantially.\u201d The implementation of a policy or practice to use local coal is not difficult because there are only 25 cement factories in the country to meet domestic demands in the north and south. But the Chairman ABAD discloses \u201cthere is a cartel of cement manufacturing firms who manipulate the prices of cement in country\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Growing Construction Cost makes Low-cost Housing Unviable <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also referred that the Competitive Commission of Pakistan in December 2020 had already dubbed the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association \u201cas a cartel which fixed cement prices through unlawful process and got 100% to 800% increase in gross profit.\u201d  But each time the cement makers got stay against competitive commission and judiciary retrained the watchdog to take action against cement cartel. \u201cThis time\u201d, the Chairman ABAD says \u201cthe government must act against them\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive Cost of Construction<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Steel and cement are two significant materials of construction, specially steel which holds 40 to 45% share in total construction cost of a high-rise project. Any jump in their prices also leads to rise in cost of other building materials like tiles, sanitary, wood, aluminum and etc. If the prices aren\u2019t reduced the wheel of housing and construction industry will stop to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairman ABAD rightly elaborates \u201cat present work on under construction projects in areas like Surjani Town, North Karachi or even in suburbs are not possible. In these areas construction cost was used to be Rs. 6000 or 7000 per square feet, but now the cost has jumped up to more than 75%. How can we make construction for apartment projects or even a single house with these unchecked and unstoppable surge?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editorial, Infocus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though, affordable or low-cost housing have been a popular slogan of every government in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,1],"tags":[58,145,182,53,79,40,152,136,47,159],"class_list":["post-4780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-construction","category-uncategorized","tag-abad","tag-cement-sales","tag-construction-materials","tag-construction-package-2020","tag-environs-karachi","tag-infocus","tag-low-cost-housing","tag-mohsin-sheikhani","tag-naya-pakistan-housing","tag-steel-prices"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh-cost Construction Materials make Low-cost Housing Impossible - Infocus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unstoppable high-cost construction materials made not only low-cost sheltering but even standard housing projects impossible in Pakistan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/infocus.pk\/?p=4780\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High-cost Construction Materials make Low-cost Housing Impossible - Infocus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unstoppable high-cost construction materials made not only low-cost sheltering but even standard housing projects impossible in Pakistan.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/infocus.pk\/?p=4780\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Infocus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-03-16T01:23:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-04T19:45:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/infocus.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/rising-construction-prices-MS.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1094\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"609\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"M. 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