KARACHI, Sept 6: As many as 929 katchi abadis in Sindh have been notified so far, out of which 702 have been regularized, while the remaining localities are in the process of regularization.

This was stated by director-general, Katchi Abadies, Tasnim Ahmed Siddiqi, in a briefing to chief minister’s advisor on local government, Waseem Akhtar, on Saturday.

He pointed out that there were 1,293 Katchi Abadis in Sindh, out of which 1,157 were regularizable, while 136 could not be regularized for their being located under high-tension electric cables or being on sewerage lines or in the bed of drains or on private land.

He informed the meeting that 228 Katchi Abadis remained irregular due to non-issuance of NOC from the concerned federal and provincial departments.

Mr Siddiqi said that Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority was granting leases since 1992, and so far 260 Katchi Abadis had been leased out.

He said that the President Pervez Musharraf had provided Rs50 million for low-cost housing schemes, which had been launched at four places with this amount in Kotri, Gharo, Sukkur and Larkana, while another four would be launched in Karachi, Thatta, Khairpur and Jacobabad.

On the occasion, Mr Akhtar underlined the need for establishment of low-cost housing schemes on the pattern of “Khuda Ki Basti” where poor people could live a peaceful life.

The advisor said that the government was making all out efforts to solve the problems of Katchi Abadis and to provide them all basic facilities.—APP