KARACHI, Dec 18: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that the Sindh government was committed to bring the less developed areas of the province at par with the developed urban areas. He was talking to a 100-member delegation of the War Course from National Defence College, Islamabad, who called on him at Chief Minister’s House on Saturday evening, said a statement issued here on Sunday.

To a question regarding delay in exploitation of Thar Coal reservoirs, Arbab Rahim said that Water and Power Development Authority and the Chinese company concerned were yet to settle tariff-related issues. Besides, non-availability of water also constituted a problem, however, he said President Musharraf would soon convene a meeting to solve the problems related to Thar Coal project.

About visible disparity of economic uplift in rural and urban areas of Sindh, Dr Arbab said that lifestyle in the rural areas was still traditional, where people lived at scattered places which could not be developed under an integrated development plan.

He maintained that a lot of development activities had taken place in remote and less developed areas of Sindh. Remote towns like Mithi and Nagarparkar had been connected with road networks while electricity had also been provided to these areas, he said. People of rural areas were also enjoying mobile phone facilities which were not available in these areas some five years ago, he added.

He said at least one Basic Health Unit had been established in each union council. More development activities would take place with the passage of time, he said.

Sindh Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, IG Police, Secretary Local Government, DCO Karachi and officials of Planning and Development Department briefed the delegation about the devolution plan and its possible impact on demographic and economic situation of the province, after the opening of Khokrapar-Monabao border.

The delegation was informed that the devolution plan had yielded positive results in many districts owing to the leadership provided by the district nazims.

On Friday evening, the participants of war course called on Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad at the Governor’s House.

Talking to the delegation, Ishratul Ibad said that the government was focusing on establishment of Textile City, Automobile City and Sports Complex besides setting up of cottage industry and dairy farms in the periphery of the metropolis.

He said that Black Cab manufacturers had also planned to establish their factory here. With the government’s policies of deregulation and privatisation coupled with availability of skilled and trained human resource in the city, the foreign investors find Karachi an attractive destination for carrying on their business, he added.

Ishratul Ibad said that the government was making concerted efforts to cope with the challenges of eradication of unemployment and reduction of poverty.

He said that talks for reducing poverty were held on various forums in the past as well but it was the present government which adopted a practical approach and identified the poverty-stricken areas and formulated a targeted strategy for reducing poverty.

He pointed out that it was mostly the people of rural areas who were hit hard by poverty, therefore, the agricultural economy was being strengthened on modern lines.

The governor called Karachi as the economic hub of the region, which was responsible for the development of the whole country. He said that there were circumstances that led business activity to shrink in the past, as people decided to wind up their business concerns. However, he said that with the right policies consistently pursued by the government and serious efforts made for improvement of law and order, a noticeable expansion was witnessed in every business being carried out in the city.

He also told the delegation about the steps being taken against terrorists, measures taken for maintaining law and order, improvement of education and health care facilities and other sectors.

DG Rangers Maj-Gen Javed Zia, Principal Secretary Saleem Khan, Secretary Finance Malik Israr and other officials were also present.—APP