Terrorism attack foiled in Islamabad, suicide jackets recovered
Islamabad, April 14: A terrorism attack was foiled by the law enforcement agencies in Islamabad and two suicide jackets along with arms and ammunition were recovered on Saturday, the media reported.
According to local police officials, two explosives-laden jackets and arms were found from the capital's Golra area in the G-14 sector neighbourhood. The recovered arms and ammunition included hand grenades, ball bearings, pistols and bullets, they added.
Islamabad Police said that the suicide vests weighed six to eight kg and have been made recently to carry out the terrorist activities in the city.
The Bomb Disposal Squad of police successfully defused the jackets and a search operation was also being conducted in the area to arrest the culprits, the reports added.
Police's timely action saved the country's capital from an untoward incident, said Dunya News while quoting security officials, adding that the Counter Terrorism Department registered first information report and launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident also spread terror among the residents of Islamabad. Security forces have issued high alert in the city and additional contingents are deployed at the sensitive points.
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Karnataka to introduce new affordable housing policy with EWS mandate for private developers
Bengaluru: Karnataka is drafting a new Affordable Housing Policy that may require private real estate developers to allocate a portion of their projects for economically weaker sections (EWS). This initiative is part of preliminary discussions aimed at addressing the state’s housing challenges.
The policy is being developed by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), an urban-focused research organization co-founded by Nandan Nilekani and Deepak Parekh. IIHS was chosen for this task without a tender process.
Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan's office has confirmed that discussions are underway to include a clause mandating private developers to reserve inventory for EWS buyers. At present, residential layouts are only required to allocate spaces for civic amenities such as parks and playgrounds.
The policy is a key component of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's agenda for affordable housing. It aims to streamline procedures in the housing sector while ensuring inter-departmental coordination. It will replace the 2016 housing policy and is expected to help Karnataka secure additional funding from union government housing schemes.
Funding challenges have hindered the state's housing programs, such as the Chief Minister’s One Lakh Housing Scheme, where the per-unit cost of ₹11.2 lakh places a significant financial burden on beneficiaries. With banks reluctant to lend, the government faces an estimated ₹3,700 crore shortfall.
The state is evaluating two affordable housing models proposed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The first model, the Land Sharing Model, involves the government providing land to private developers, who would dedicate 30-50% of the land to affordable housing. Once the housing units are completed, they would be handed over to the government for distribution, while the developers would monetize the remaining land.
The second model, the Interest Subsidy Model, suggests offering a 3-5% subsidy on home loan interest, which would reduce monthly installments for beneficiaries from ₹8,700 to ₹5,500-6,800. This approach is expected to cost the government ₹60-170 crore annually.
