KARACHI: Resettlement of LEW affectees in full swing
KARACHI, April 19: The resettlement of families affected by the construction of the Lyari Expressway is going on at a fast pace, with 21,300 families so far having been handed over 80 sq-yd plots along with Rs50,000 cheques per family.
“After the first phase of resettlement in Hawkesbay, the second phase of resettlement in Taiser Town is fast progressing,” Senator Nisar Memon, Chairman of Senate’s Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production was told during a four-hour long visit to the Taiser and Baldia Resettlement sites on Wednesday.
Briefing the senator, the Project Director of the Lyari Resettlement Project, Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, informed that over 12,000 families had constructed their houses at the Taiser Town’s resettlement site while the remaining families were also fast building their homes.
“It is just marvellous and unbelievable,” Senator Nisar Memon said after a visit to the resettlement site and said the project truly translated the vision of President Pervez Musharraf for reformation of society.
The spirit of families, shifting from a filthy, dirty and health hazardous environment of the Lyari River to resettlement sites was highly appreciative in the sense that they were using bricks, windows, doors, etc of their old houses in the construction of their new ones, he said.
Senator Memon was impressed by the way focus was being laid on providing education and health facilities to children, who had earlier never seen even the picture of a school.
He announced the setting up of an adult literacy centre in the Taiser Town resettlement site for men and women as his personal contribution towards raising literacy rate there.
He was informed that sectors 35, 35-A, 36, 36-A, 50 and 51 of Taiser Town Scheme-45, spread over 667 acres, were fully equipped with all basic civic amenities like wide roads, water, electricity, gas, educational institutions, health centres, etc.
Memon was told that every shifting family was being provided the best facilities of education and health while it was also being ensured that children there were not only being provided with free and quality education but also uniforms and books.
Mr Paracha said special attention was also being paid to female education.
He said, in order to cope with the shortage of government teachers, local educated girls were appointed as teachers against a monthly honorarium.
He said that at present, 13 primary schools were functioning at the Taiser Town resettlement site where 4,500 children were studying.
A skills development centre had also been established there in cooperation with the Pakistan Baitul Maal where girls were imparted training in sewing, embroidery, etc.
Paracha said that for the best educational facilities, the resettlement project had also been associated with the city’s noted welfare organizations, and in this regard, five schools were being run under The Citizen’s Foundation.
As regards the health facilities, Senator Nisar Memon was told that besides a government dispensary, one dispensary each under the Alamgir Welfare Trust and the Gospel Help Trust were also functioning.
He was told that the school children of the site were being vaccinated against hepatitis in coordination with the city government and Hamdard Medical University. The construction of a maternity home was also in progress, he added.
It was informed that in order to provide means of livelihood to the local people, hawkers’ bazaar and shopping centre had also been set up where economic activities were fast growing while loans on easy terms were being provided through the Basti Micro Finance and Taameer Banks.
For recreational facilities, the construction of two parks had been completed while work on mosques, two churches and a temple was fast in progress.
On a query, the senator was told that effective steps had been taken for supplying clean drinking water, adding that over 100,000 gallons of water was being supplied free with the Rangers’ cooperation.
For regular water supply, he said work on laying a pipeline from the North East Filter Plant had been completed and supply of water had started the very evening.
Later, Senator Memon also visited the under development Baldia Site of Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project where work on a grid station, primary school, mini civic centre, shopping centre, construction material shops, hawkers’ bazaar and dispensary had been completed.
He was informed that 2,924 plots had been set aside in this site where sites had been earmarked for six schools, four mosques, eight parks and playgrounds, 21 public utility buildings, two hospitals and maternity centres, one community centre, one vocational centre and one beautiful hill park.
Mr Paracha said a dedicated water pipeline was being laid at a cost of Rs120 million, which was being shared by SUPARCO and LERP.
At the Baldia Town site, the senator had a bird-eye view of the site from a hill top and admired the development works including development of greenery through use of water produced by windmills.—APP
