KARACHI, Dec 11: The fee structure for conversion of residential plots to commercial ones along 21 commercialised roads of the metropolis is to be revised upwards and owners of such plots will be given final chance to get the status of their property changed at the current rates.

The matter of ‘change of land use charges’ came under a thorough discussion at a meeting, chaired by City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, here on Monday.

EDO Master Plan Iftikhar Qaimkhani, who gave a briefing about the issue, told the meeting that the City Council had commercialised these thoroughfares some three years back and had also given approval to the proposal that the owners of estates along the roads be allowed to get the status of their plots changed on payment of a certain amount of fee to the city government. The fee structure for different categories ranged from Rs1,000 to Rs8,000 per square yards. The city government had decided to utilise the revenues thus generated in the development projects of the respective localities.

Mr Qaimkhani said that over the past three years, land prices in different parts of the city, particularly along these commercialised roads, had gone up and, as such, it was pertinent to revise the fee structure accordingly. Justifying the proposed increase, he pointed out that the city government was not only spending millions of rupees in further developing these commercial thoroughfares, but was also improving the infrastructure of the areas concerned.

The city nazim agreed with the EDO and directed the officials concerned to work out a new fee structure. However, he stressed on giving a final chance to those who were willing to get the status of their properties on the commercialised roads changed into commercial land at the current rates, which should also apply on the cases already pending before the city government, he added.

The 21 commercialised roads are: Sharea Faisal (Metropole Hotel to Malir Bridge), Tariq Road (Allahwali Chowrangi to Bahadurabad commercial area and Sindhi Muslim Society to Sharea Faisal), Captain Farid Bukhari Road, Rashid Minhas Road (Scheme 16, 24 & 36 from Drive-in Cinema to Shafique Morr), University Road (Scheme 24 & 36 from Civic Centre to Safoora Chowrangi), Shahrah-i-Pakistan (Scheme 16 from Teen Hatti Bridge to Sohrab Goth), Nazimabad A Road (Lasbella Bridge to Circular Railway line left side), Shershah Suri Road in North Nazimabad (Board Office Chowrangi to Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi on both sides), Block B-N and Block A-J, Shahrah-i-Jahangir in North Nazimabad (Block H to L), Khayaban-i-Iqbal (Clifton Road Bridge to Do Talwar), Khayaban-i-Jami (Plots ST-10 to ST-13), Khalid Bin Waleed Road (Plot K-107 to 168 G. Church), Jamaluddin Afghani Road (PTV Station to Plot No. 1 adjacent to Shaheed-i-Millat), Allama Iqbal Road (Kashmir Road to Jheel Park on both sides), Sir Syed Ahmed Road (Tariq Road to Khalid bin Waleed Road on both sides), Shaheed-i-Millat Road (Haider Ali Chowrangi to Jail Chowrangi on both sides), Chaudhry Khaleeq-uz-Zaman Road (Block 8 & 9 Askari Market to Chaudhry Khaleeq-uz-Zaman Colony), Beach Avenue Road (Darakhshan Police Station to Casino Chowrangi), Khayaban-i-Saadi, Khyaban-i-Rumi, Nishtar Road and Alamgir Road.