KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday ordered the Board of Revenue (BoR) to conduct an extensive survey of the government land under encroachment and file a report to devise an effective strategy for removal of encroachers.

“It must be a detailed report containing the areas, size, worth and location of the government lands, which have been illegally grabbed by the land mafia,” he told senior member of the BoR Rizwan Memon during a meeting.

The chief minister was learnt to have expressed his anger over the increasing pace of encroachment on government land in the province with particular reference to Karachi. He was informed about the continued ‘china cutting’ in the city at which he warned the SHOs of all police stations that they would be held responsible for the future activities of the land grabbing mafia in their jurisdictions.

Officials said the CM was informed that the anti-encroachment police force was merely 1,046-strong in the whole province while their number was just around 200 in Karachi, which was insufficient.

The BoR officials demanded for a significant increase in the number of the force, which as per their demand, should be around 1,000 only for Karachi. The total number of such force in the entire province, thus, be increased proportionately.

“For a city of 20 million, a force of 200 policemen to check the strong land-grab mafia is highly insufficient. It has to have much more personnel who are well-equipped and rigorously trained,” said an official in the Sindh government.

The sources said the chief minister approved the demand of the BoR and asked them to move a summary for increase in the anti-encroachment force, which he would approve as part of the strategy to reclaim the precious land being lost to the strong mafias.

The officials, however, said it would be decided later whether new policemen would be recruited for the force, or the force would be raised from the personnel transferred from the police department.

At the meeting, said a statement, Mr Shah directed the senior member of the BoR to frame a policy under which the police station concerned would be held responsible if government land was grabbed in their jurisdiction.

The chief minister told him that there were reports in the media that the land mafia was still busy on `china cutting’ activity.

“This is unacceptable. For God’s sake, tell them [land mafia] to have mercy on this city, otherwise I won’t have mercy on the mafia,” he said.

City courts security

CM Shah visited the city courts buildings, reviewed its entry and exit points and issued necessary directives.

Additional IG Karachi Mushatq Maher briefed the chief minister on measures taken for security there.

The chief minister stopped at the Paper Market and expressed his displeasure to see garbage along the road. He warned the DMC South officials to take care of it or face consequences.

He also stopped at the D. J. Science College while coming back to CM House. He met the college principal and told him that he was an alumnus of the college.

Meeting with Bohra, Ismaili representatives

An eight-member delegation of the Bohra community called on the chief minister to felicitate him on his election as provincial chief executive.

Representatives of the Ismaili community also visited CM House and met the chief minister.

The officials said Mr Shah spoke with the leaders of the two communities over a recent security alert issued by the provincial home department.

However, sources said, he assured them that the government had arranged for a foolproof security of the two communities that had played a huge role in the development of the city.

Rangers DG

Director General Rangers Sindh Maj-Gen Bilal Akber called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Basically, the officials said, it was a courtesy call by the Rangers chief but during their meeting they discussed the overall law and order, on-going targeted operations and security measures for independence celebrations in Sindh.

Quetta blast victims

Mr Shah visited the Aga Khan Hospital to visit those injured in the blast in Quetta, and inquired after their health.

He spoke to Kamran Murtaza, a leader of the lawyers’ community, and assured him that his government was providing necessary security to the lawyers and judiciary.

Regularisation

Mr Shah regularised the services of 701 officers of the National Programme for Improvement of Water Courses (NPIW).

These officers of NPIW were appointed in 2005 on the contract basis from grade B-16 to B-18 under a foreign funded project to line water courses in the province.

When the project was completed the salaries of these officers were stopped. The Sindh government kept extending their contract from time to time but Mr Shah finally regularised their services.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2016