May 29, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

KARACHI, May 28: Sindh Chief Secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman has directed officials of the revenue department to expedite a comprehensive survey of the land allocated for setting up of an “Education City” in the Gadap area and submit its report within a month.

Presiding over a meeting of the stakeholders of the proposed Education City in his office, the chief secretary also asked the planning and development department to ensure the release of development funds and completion of the development work in a transparent manner.

The availability of infrastructure facilities such as water supply and sewerage, electricity, gas and telephone lines should also be ensured at the earliest, he added.

The Education City, which will be spread over 9,000 acres in Deh Chauhar across the National and Super highways, was proposed by the Sindh government for the establishment of quality education institutions.

The nine educational institutions allotted land in the project are: SZABIST (300 acres), Medical Complex (50 acres), Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (50 acres), Aga Khan University (500 acres), Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (200 acres), SIUT (100 acres), New Ports Institute (20 acres), Ziauddin Medical University (26 acres), Judicial Academy (100 acres), Barret Hodgson Pakistan (10 acres), and the Habib Education Trust (200 acres).

According to the terms and conditions for allotment of the land under the Colonization of Government Lands Act, 1912, the entire land situated in Deh Chauhar, Tapo Konkar, will be used exclusively for schools, colleges, universities, hospitals or other education and health-care purposes.

The land shall not be transferred, charged, sold, leased or used for purposes other than the specified ones.

The other conditions included that the land shall not be alienated by gift, sale or mortgage with possession, or even through special or general power of attorney until the completion of the project without the approval of the Sindh government.

From the date of the grant, the project shall be initiated within six months and completed within two years and in case of non-utilisation of the land or non-completion of the project, it shall be forfeited without notice and without payment of any compensation for any structure raised, provided that the completion period of the project might be extended for another year by government only on payment of a non-utilization fee of 10 per cent of the price of occupancy value.

However, according to reliable sources, the stakeholders recommended that timelines be determined on a case-to-case basis for the completion of projects.