KARACHI: The Karachi Development Authority on Thursday decided to launch four new residential schemes to help people own their own homes in the metropolis. Under the schemes, high-rise buildings would be constructed on the open spaces available with the KDA in different developed schemes such as Liaquatabad, Korangi and Surjani Town at a price ranging from Rs3 million to Rs5m.

The approval of the schemes was given in principle by the governing body of the KDA which met here on Thursday presided over by its chairman, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani.

Later in response to a question, the minister told Dawn that in addition to those flats, the Sindh government had already initiated a low-cost housing scheme under which 50,000 developed plots of 120 square yards had been allotted on nominal rates in different towns of the province. He said that this scheme was launched in the last tenure of the PPP government under which 27,500 plots had already been distributed while the remaining 22,500 plots would be allotted to low-income people through balloting.

High-rise buildings to be built on KDA land to house the poor

The minister said as for the new schemes, the governing body directed the planning department to revise the scheme and prepare a feasible plan in the light of the permission given by the apex court to build high-rise buildings, which would also help bring down the price of the flats.

He said the flat projects tabled at the meeting were based on an earlier directive of the apex court, limiting ground-plus-six-storey flats.

The meeting, which lasted four hours covering a 26-point agenda at the Civic Centre, was attended by Raja Abdul Razzaq, Shamim Mumtaz, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, additional secretary for LG Jalaluddin and KDA director general Samiuddin Siddiqui.

Minister Ghani said the authority should follow the rules strictly. He said that the revised budget of the KDA for 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 could be approved in the light of the opinion of the finance and law departments. However, the meeting allowed the KDA to spend only necessary expenditures.

The meeting expressed its concern over the reported encroachments in Block 6 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and called a detailed report from the officers concerned.

Committee to review proposed rates

Taking up the item about increasing the conversion and change of category and prices of plots, the governing body constituted a committee to review the proposed rates with the directives that no charges should be imposed on plots measuring 80 square yards. However, on plots of 120 sq yds, charges should be fixed with Rs50 and Rs100 to help the poor and lower-middle class people. Regarding the proposal of taking over the Parking Plaza and the plots available in Lines Area, the meeting directed the officials concerned to refer the matter to the governing body of the Lines Area Resettlement Project for their permission.

The other decisions taken by the KDA governing body included handing over of grounds for development to various nongovernmental organisations after legal consultation, approval to set up a sports department in the KDA for the promotion of sports, requesting the Sindh government to provide grants to purchase vehicles, other required machineries, police helmets and shields to protect them against pelting of stones by anti-social elements while removing encroachments, recruitment of lawyers and other staff for the law department through advertisements in the press etc.

The meeting also took up the charter of demands presented by the CBA union.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2018