KARACHI, May 13: Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Governor Ishratul Ibad on Friday decided to form a committee for making a coordinated plan to develop authentic rural areas and set up green belt around the city.

Talking to representatives of old settlements, they said that town planning of Ibrahim Haideri and other big villages of Karachi would begin soon.

They said that the newly formed committee, to be headed by senior member of the Board of Revenue, would hold meetings in this regard with the representatives of these villages and submit its report along with comprehensive recommendations to the provincial government.

The governor and chief minister pledged that the government would provide basic civic facilities to all areas of the metropolis without any rural and urban discrimination. They said that all the authentic villages of Karachi would be provided with full protection and provision of all modern urban facilities for their residents would be ensured.

However, it was decided that all encroachments on Scheme 33 land would be removed without disturbing the authentic village areas.

They asked the officials concerned to launch an aggressive drive against the land grabbers and take those to the task who were encroaching upon vacant plots and declaring them as villages by erecting boundary walls. The representatives of the villages agreed that operation should be carried out against the land mafia.

The meeting decided that the chief minister would visit Scheme 33 villages and other rural areas and following the inspection an action would be taken against all encroachments.

Referring to the development of such areas, the governor and chief minister directed the officials concerned that small dams should be set up in Gadap to collect rainwater so that the same could be utilized later when required. They asked the officers to extend full cooperation to respective town administrations. Besides, they said that the rural areas still without electricity would soon be provided power.

Among others, the meeting was attended by Haji Shafi Muhammad Jamote, Abdul Hakeem Baloch, Mohammed Rafique Jokhio, MPA Mehmood Alam Jamote, Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, Ashiq Ali Jamote, Rasool Bukhsh Baloch, Jam Abdul Kareem, Noor Hussain Jokhio, Khuda Dino Shah and others.

Principal Secretary Akhtar Zamin, additional chief secretary for local bodies, DCO Karachi and other officials were also present on the occasion. —PPI