KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to upgrade 100 katchi abadis to the level of township by providing them basic amenities, including road infrastructure, all over Sindh to improve quality of life of its residents.

He directed the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) to prepare a plan of the abadis with notified boundaries and free of all kind of litigation.

The chief minister, who took this decision while presiding over a meeting on the issue katchi abadis at CM House on Thursday, directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee under senior member of the Board of Revenue Rizwan Memon and SKAA secretary Dr Nawaz Shaikh and secretary for local government Baqaullah Unnar as its members to examine the demarcation cases and finalise the matter within 30 days.

He also made it clear to all that any new settlements on government lands would be considered as encroachment and the SHO concerned would be held responsible for it.

Earlier, giving a presentation to the chief minister Dr Nawaz Shaikh said there were 1,409 katchi abadis stretching over 25,944 acres in the province, of which 948 were notified, 344 not notified, 117 are established on federal government land which had notified only 30 katchi abadis while joint demarcation of 227 abadis had been carried out so far.

In reply to a question, the SKAA secretary said Karachi had 564 katchi abadis, of which 56 were located on hazardous places such as streams and drains. Giving details of 129 katchi abadis established on federal government land, he said 80 abadis were on railways land, 10 on defence land, 10 on Pak PWD, eight on KLTP, 29 ETPB, one on T&T and another on Wapda’s land while 82 other abadis were located on the land of different provincial departments, which included 29 KMC, eight on SITE, one on jail, 18 on irrigation, four on Auqaf, two on food, 18 on local councils and one on works and services department land.

Dr Nawaz Shaikh dilating on the katchi abadis in other divisions in the province said 417 were in Hyderabad division, including 203 in Hyderabad, 28 in Dadu, 45 in Badin 46 in Thatta, 15 in Tando Allahya, nine in Tando Mohammad Khan, 20 in Matyrai, 21 in Jamshoro, and 30 in Sujawal. Of 417 only 200 katchi abadis were notified while 217 were yet to be notified including 117 abadis which had been taken up for regularisation.

In Mirpurkhas division out of 81 katchi abadis, including 17 in Tharparkar and 23 in Umerkot, 47 were regularised while 30 others were under process.

In Sukkur division there were 91 katchi abadis, including 22 in Ghotki and 18 Khairpur. Of them 60 were notified, 43 others were under process while 31 were yet to be notified. In Larkana division, of 112, including 18 in Kamber/Shahdadkot, 14 Shikarpur, 29 in Jacobabd and 17 in Kashmore, 69 were notified, 38 under process and 43 were yet to be taken up.

Similarly, in Shaheed Benazirabad division there were 144 katchi abadis, including 60 in Sanghar, 31 in Naushahro Feroze and 53 in Benazirabad/Nawabshah. Only 90 abadis were notified, 60 others were under the process while 54 had not been taken up for notification.

SKAA secretary Dr Nawaz Shaikh said that criterion for regularisation of a katchi abadi was that the settlement should have been in existence on or before March 23, 1985. The settlement must have at least 40 dwelling units.

Replying to a question, he said the societies which were not taken up for regularisation had the issues of settlement of federal or KMC land while those located on Sindh government land were awaiting demarcation.

The chief minister also decided to nominate MPA Murtaza Baloch as member of the SKAA governing body which had fallen vacant with the resignation of MQM MPA Erum Khalid from the assembly.

Besides other officials concerned those present at the meeting included special assistant to CM on Katchi Abadis Murtaza Baloch, senior member of the Board of Revenue Rizwan Memon, SKAA secretary Dr Nawaz Shaikh and director general of katchi abadis Akhtar Bugti.

CM lauds LEAs, ulema for cooperation

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday appreciated the untiring efforts and close coordination of police, Rangers and intelligence agencies to maintain law and order during Muharram Majalis and mourning processions.

“You have performed a wonderful job and owe me a word of thanks for your coordinated sincere efforts,” he said while addressing policemen at the CPO where he visited in the evening on the last leg of his daylong tour of three divisions — Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2016