KARACHI, Aug 22: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has pledged that the CDGK would regularize more kutchi abadis and grant lease of land to the residents of such localities.

Addressing a big gathering in Akhtar Colony after a reception given in his honour on Saturday night, he said that a committee had already been constituted to ensure transparency in the process of granting lease to deserving people.

As against the lease rate of Rs450 to Rs2,500 per square yard in 1999, the city government would fix the rate at Rs25 to Rs200 per square yard for a residential unit. In the case of a mosque, church or temple, he added, the rate would be one rupee per square yard.

Mr Khan made it clear that no office of the city government was authorized to issue the lease documents pertaining to kutchi abadis. In order to check misuse of authority, he said, he himself would issue the documents.

He informed people that the lease form, published in Urdu, could be attested by a nazim/naib nazim/councillor. The city government had reminded the provincial government time and again that the department of kutchi abadis had to be devolved to the CDGK but there had been no response as yet.

He pointed out that the 1985 survey put the number of kutchi abadis in the metropolis at 538. The city nazim dispelled the general impression that "Karachi is the city of rich people" as contrary to fact. "No less than 52 per cent population of this city lived in katchi abadis," he revealed.

Describing the land of Karachi as a 'trust', he declared that he would not allow any unscrupulous element to grab it. Naimatullah Khan said that from the Rs29 billion Karachi package announced by President Musharraf, an amount of Rs13 billion had been set aside for improvement in the water and sewerage system. The water and sanitation department, he said, would start work on the improvement project soon.

Out of the total Rs13 billion, he explained, Rs9 billion would be spent on improving the sewerage system and the rest on water supply network. The city nazim held out the assurance that old and damaged pipelines would be replaced to check leakage and waste of water.

He also appealed to well-off people and philanthropists to come forward and help the authorities to solve the problems being faced by Karachiites, especially residents of kutchi abadis, pertaining to civic amenities. -APP/PPI