HYDERABAD, July 14: Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis Mohammad Rafique on Monday directed the officials concerned to carry out a fresh survey of katchi abadis in the district with the help of representatives of public and other relevant organisations following rejection of offical figures on katchi abadis by local people.

The minister said in a meeting with nazims of union councils and director of katchi abadis Abdul Khaliq Shaikh at Circuit House that after the survey the katchi abadies would be regularised.

In addition, the ministry was launching the prime minister’s project for low-cost housing at a cost of Rs10 billion to provide accommodation to the homeless, he said.

He said that the government had called a governing body meeting of Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority and its official and non-official members to chalk out a plan and implement the schemes.

According to SLGO 2001, the villages within a periphery of two kilometres of town committees and municipal committees are considered urban areas. They would be regularised and developed, he said.

He said that some difficulties were being experienced for getting NoC from land-owning departments for regularising katchi abadis. He had taken up the matter with the Board of Revenue, Pakistan Railways and other federal government departments to get NoC for establishing katchi abadis.

He asked the district government for providing the land required for at least 30 low-cost housing schemes and Sasti Basti housing schemes, especially at a site where civic infrastructure was already available.

The minister said that the record of Sindh Katchi Abadi was being computerised to prevent theft of record or damage to it in case of accident.

He said that hundreds of katchi abadis had been identified in the district after feedback from public, which had earlier not been included in the master plan. They needed to be examined, evaluated and regularised, he said.

He asked the officers concerned to complete survey of such katchi abadis within the shortest possible time.

Earlier, Katchi Abadis Director Abdul Khaliq Shaikh said in his briefing that as many as 99 katchi abadis had been identified in the district, which included 54 in taluka city, 39 in taluka Latifabad and three each in Qasimabad and Hyderabad rural talukas.

He said that the NoC from the land-owning departments and high cost of government land formed major hurdles to get the katchi abadis regularised.

About 1,300 acres of land was required for the establishment of 30 low-cost housing schemes, he added.

The nazims of union councils and other public representatives who were also present at the meeting disputed the official number of katchi abadis and said that there were hundreds of katchi abadis especially in Qasimabad and Latifabad talukas, which had been left out of katchi abadis master plan.

The minister directed the officers concerned to constitute a joint committee and conduct a fresh survey for regularisation of katchi abadis.