KARACHI, July 7: Minister for Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Mohammad Rafiq Engineer has directed the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) to extend all possible cooperation and assistance to the occupants of houses in katchi abadis in getting their residential units regularised.

He asked the officials concerned to guide them in the process of leasing and obtaining proprietary rights.

The minister issued the directives while talking to a group of journalists here on Monday. He briefed the journalists about the measures being taken by the government for the transformation of the city’s slums into model townships.

He also highlighted the steps being taken for the implementation of the low-cost housing schemes under the title of “Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Basti”.

He said that as many as 70 low-cost housing schemes would be executed for which around 6,600 acres had been planned to be acquired in different parts of Karachi district. About 300,000 plots would be created for the purpose, he added.

The minister said that directives had been issued to the SKAA field staff to identify new locations for the “Sasti Basti” projects.

Advising the general public to benefit from the simplified procedure of the one-window operation, the minister said that in order to facilitate the process and assist the deserving people, SKAA teams would set up camps in the evening hours for labourers and other workers who could not spare time for the purpose during office hours due to their jobs.

He said that the government had revived the process of katchi abadis’ regularisation to cover 270 such settlements across the province.

At present, he said, the physical survey of five katchi abadis was under way. These settlements included Gulshan-i-Mustafa and Future Colony, he added.

The minister stated that the layout plan of Sherabad and Sweeper Colony in Landhi had also been prepared.

In reply to a question, he said that the 270 katchi abadis for which regularisation process had already been started were located in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana.

Mr Rafiq said directives had also been issued for the improvement of infrastructure and beautification of all katchi abadis. He said that a feasibility report was being prepared for the computerisation of the entire record of katchi abadis.

A complaint cell to register and address people’s grievances had also been set up, he added.