ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to develop katchi abadis (shanty settlements) on modern lines to ensure they have all basic facilities like schools, colleges, hospitals, mosques, parks and open spaces for roads.

“The poor have been ignored in the past and it is time to raise their living standards,” the president said at a follow-up meeting at the Presidency on transformation of katchi abadis into developed areas in Karachi and other parts of the country.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, MPA Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Naya Pakistan Housing Authority (NPHA) chief retired Lt Gen Anwar Hyder, Secretary to the President Tariq Najeeb Najmi and Housing Secretary Dr Imran Zeb Khan.

The meeting reviewed proposals to transform katchi abadis into decent residential areas.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2020