KARACHI, Aug 3: Senior Minister of Sindh for Finance and Cooperation, Syed Sardar Ahmed, said on Wednesday the government was going to amend the Local Government Ordinance 2002 this month. The amendment, after the chief minister’s approval, would restore the rural and urban area distinction as per the pre-SLG Ordinance 2002.

The minister said this while addressing members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry here. The rural area towns of Karachi were declared urban area under the ordinance, and through the amendment these would be declared rural area that would help check the hike in land prices around the city.

The minister said he had also proposed in the ordinance that government land be offered to hospitals, educational institutions and other amenities at 40 to 60 per cent concession as well as giving subsidies to industrial and housing sectors. The land for commercial purposes would be sold at the market price, he added.

The minister said he had asked the KPT to settle the issue of ownership of land in Mai Kolachi out of court. He invited the members of the chamber to discuss the issue of stamp duty and professional tax. He had been asked to bring it at par with that of the Punjab government.

On the setting up of a micro-finance bank, he said though the Sindh government had a license to establish such a bank, it was not ready to run it.

“We want the private sector to run it,” he said. He said the proposals of the businessmen that were accepted by President Pervez Musharraf would be implemented after receiving minutes of the meeting from the President House.

The minister said the law and order situation in Karachi was well under control, and only the street crimes were on the rise. He suggested to the members of the chamber to hold meetings with the law-enforcing agencies and government officials for controlling the wave of street crimes.

However, he said he had drawn the attention of the government to the issue.

The minister urged the businessmen to use their influence over political and religious circles to promote peace in Karachi.

“We all are Pakistanis and should join hands to maintain peace and show tolerance towards each other,” he said. —APP