KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly was on Thursday informed that as many as 582 slums and shantytowns, better known as katchi abadis, out of total 1,400 across the province, were there in Karachi where the occupants of 120-yard plots were generally given official land at the rate of Rs250 per square yard.

The PAC, headed by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, took up the matters of the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) and was further informed that the rates of official land of katchi abadis, however, varied in different districts of the city.

SKAA Finance Director Bilal Shaikh told the meeting that the process of awarding leases had slowed down since 2021 as the residents of katchi abadis had not been submitting the registration fee for ownership rights.

The PAC chairman wondered as to why the occupants of land worth millions of rupees in katchi abadis were not paying the government charges to get their plots leased.

He asked the SKAA to provide complete details of the process of regularisation of katchi abadis and the leases given to their residents within 10 days.

The PAC also sought the records of the regularised slums including the data of the existing slums across the province.

While reviewing the audit paragraphs of the SKAA from 2018 to 2021, the PAC chairman also expressed displeasure over the failure of officials in providing the audit record of Rs131.901 million funds released under the grant-in-aid and difference bills.

He directed the SKAA to provide the required audit record of the expenditure within 10 days.

Mr Khuhro said that the Pakistan Peoples Party’s provincial government wanted to regularise the katchi abadis and goths across the province and give ownership rights to the people living there.

He said that the tendency of new slums to grow should end and asked the SKAA as to why measures were not being taken to contain the growth of katchi abadis.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2024