June 08, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 22, 1428

KARACHI, June 7: Although the new Sabzi Mandi is reportedly generating revenue between Rs40-45 million annually, it still lacks the basic amenities like potable water and a proper sewerage system.

Despite settlement of all their dues against cost of land and development charges including cost of power meters, tap water supply and a sewerage system, the allotees still are roughing it out and await government action to get rid of the poor condition prevalent in the market.

Repeated complaints in this regard resulted in the formation of various government committees in the past, but to no avail. Interestingly, the market committee officials instead of feeling threatened by any such actions, have further created problems for the stakeholders and visitors to the Mandi, by illegally allotting a parking area and open spaces.

In July 2005, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim constituted a high-powered committee to look into the issues facing the new Sabzi Mandi.

The 21-member committee, headed by Provincial Irrigation Minister Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, comprised representatives from 5-Corps Headquarters, National Highway Authority and managing directors of the KESC and KWSB.

Its terms of reference were implementation of the Sindh Ombudsman’s decision of June 2000. The body was assigned to conduct a detailed study and make suggestions for the management of the Sabzi Mandi through an autonomous statutory body or corporation and also to examine feasibility of establishment of several more Sabzi Mandis near entry/ exit points of the city on National and RCD highways.

The failure of the committee to make any headway resulted in an uproar in the provincial assembly, forcing the chief minister to reconstitute a new five-member committee headed by Kishanchand Perwani in May 2006. Its other members were former minister Abdul Hakim Baloch, Agriculture Secretary Mehkumudin Qadri, Special Secretary of the Board of Revenue (LU) Nazar Mohammad Leghari and Siddique Memon.

Besides other matters its terms of reference included scrutiny of individual allotment cases on merit and finalisation of the list for regularisation of allotments.

The report submitted by the committee in October 2006 pointed towards wide-scale irregularities and recommended severe action against three administrators of the market committee and removal of all encroachments to restore its status of a model Sabzi Mandi as envisaged by the Asian Development Bank.

The report noted with concern that allotment to newcomers were made without any criteria/ balloting and were allotted on personal liking and disliking of past administrators.All such allotments be examined on a case to case basis by the standing committee comprising Khalid Mehmood Soomro, member BoR (LU), Secretary Agriculture Mehkumuddin Quaderi and Additional Secretary to Sindh Governor Javed Hanif and inappropriate allotments should be cancelled, it was stressed.

The report suggested that the control of the market committee be given to taluka/town administration in place of the district levels in true spirit of the devolution plan so that funds generated were utilised in local area and additional management and financial support could be made available through taluka/town administrator.

The report also revealed mismanagement and corruption in Sabzi Mandi and cases of tampering of records, illegal allotments, theft of market fees, etc.

Most of the illegal activities were carried out by then administrators i.e. Col Javed Iqbal, Mohammad Akbar Zardari and Abdul Jabbar Abbasi, the report stated recommending proceedings against these officials.

Unfortunately, eights months have passed since the findings of the Perwani committee, and no action has been taken so far in this regard for reasons best known to the authorities concerned.

Leaving the issue unsettled, the government has again announced establishment of new Sabzi Mandis in major towns of the province including two more new Sabzi Mandis in Karachi on National and RCD highways, for which the Asian Development Bank has also committed a grant of over Rs250 million.

The president of the Fruit Merchants and Growers Association, Mohammad Javed, said that even the old allottees , who possessed record of the KMC allotments, had not been issued their allotment so far on one pretext or the other.

He said that there was neither provision for supply of potable water nor proper sewerage system, despite depositing over Rs200 million under different heads.

In reply to a question, he said that the old Sabzi Mandi was spread over 17 acres while the new one was developed on 100 acres where against 2,356 KMC tenants, 3,760 shops and sheds were provided in the approved master plan of the KBCA but the latest figure after encroachment and fake allotments had raised its number to almost double.