January 4, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 3, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 3: The City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, on Tuesday ordered immediate suspension, lodging of FIR and initiating an inquiry against nine officials of the city government’s Land and Revenue Department for alleged corruption and slackness. These officials would be removed after allegations against them are proved, he said.

The nazim issued directives after he received public complaints against officials during his visit to various areas of the Baldia and SITE towns and a surprise visit to the regional office of the land revenue department on Tuesday.

During his five-hour surprise visit to both towns, the nazim also inspected ongoing work on various development schemes.

In Baldia Town, the city nazim was informed by the Town Nazim, Kamran Akhtar, about large scale encroachments on land allocated for cottage industry and alleged that the Assistant District Officer, Land Revenue was involved in it.

The city nazim ordered immediate suspension of the officer and removal of encroachments with compliance report so that plots could be given to owners.

Later, the city nazim paid a surprise visit to the revenue office located in Gulshan-i-Mazdoor where he found a total mess of the record room. He saw files scattered here and there and some of them half burnt. He was told that it was the record of area plan.

The watchman informed that the room was last opened five months back.

Mr Kamal ordered the suspension of eight officials with immediate effect. They include surveyors Abdul Majeed, Nisar Ahmed, Syed Faki Abidi, Assistant Surveyor Salahuddin, Muhammad Aslam, Clerk Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Siddique, Pervez and a ninth person, watchman Muhammad Younis. He also ordered lodging of an FIR against them.

During a visit to Saeedabad, the nazim directed the EDO Health to submit a report for upgrading the Urban Health and Maternity Home to a general hospital.

He also gave approval for Rs30.2 million for repair and reconstruction of the 19-D pumping house in Baldia Town and directed officials of the Water and Sewerage Board to improve water and sewerage systems of the area by March 31.

He asked them to prepare PC-I of the water and sewerage schemes for areas where such systems do not exist.

The city nazim also inspected an under-construction terminus for buses plying between Karachi and Balochistan at Yousuf Goth and directed that work on it should be completed by Jan 30.

He was told that the terminus would have a capacity of 400 buses besides facilities for a hostel, restaurant, transport union office, mosque, etc.

Later, he inspected under-construction roads of 13-D and the Quaid Avenue at 19-D in Baldia Town.

He took serious note of substandard work at the under-construction girls’ college and school and called for a detailed report in this respect immediately.

KCR: The City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, has directed concerned authorities to speed up homework for running the circular train in the interior localities of the city.

Presiding over a meeting at his office, the nazim ordered that a plan be worked out for early completion of infrastructure and added that a PC-I should be prepared for it.

The nazim was told that there was a 30-km railway track in the city with 60 stations of which 22 stations were intact. It would require Rs5 to Rs6 billion for replacing the tracks, construction of bridges, stations and platforms.

The Project Director, KCR, Director General Mass Transit Project and other officers attended the meeting.—PPI