MITHI: Sindh government has undertaken the massive work of survey of desert lands in Tharparkar district, a huge exercise which even British colonial rulers had shied away from carrying out.

Sindh Minister for Revenue and Relief Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman, who along with lawmakers from Thar and officials concerned, inaugurated the survey at deputy commissioner’s office the other day, told media persons that in the first phase, desert lands in Kaloi and Islamkot talukas would be surveyed.

An amount of Rs11 million had already been released to the authorities concerned, which had begun work on the survey, he said.

He said that they would need more funds for the exercise for which they would approach the Sindh government functionaries. The process of land survey in Kaloi taluka had already been launched by the teams of Directorate of Settlement Survey Land Sindh, Hyderabad, with the help of local revenue officials, he said.

The surveying teams would conduct the survey with the help of experts and available tools and the process would be completed within stipulated time, he said.

“The settlement survey of enemy and evacuee properties will also be carried out for the first time so that these lands can be distributed among their real owners and landless peasants, particularly women,” he said.

The minister said that they had undertaken the huge task, which could not be done even during British colonial rule. The survey of enemy properties in Islamkot, Nagarparkar, Dahli and Chhachhro talukas would be a gigantic task, he said, adding they would not only conduct their settlement surveys but would also ensure the process was carried out in a fair and transparent manner so that all such properties could be given either to their real owners or to landless farmers of the region.

He said that it was a dream of their slain leader Ms Benazir Bhutto to change the lifestyle of Tharis and that dream was now being translated into reality by the launch of mega projects in the desert region.

PPP Senator Krishna Kumari Kolhi, MPAs Rana Hamir Singh and Faqir Sher Mohammad Bilalani, DC Lal Dino Mangi and other PPP leaders and officials also attended the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2023