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KARACHI, Aug 27: The city government intends to maintain a separate account of the revenues collected from Landhi, Korangi, Federal B Industrial Area and North Karachi Industrial Area , and to utilize the funds in carrying out development work in these areas.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by City Nazim Naimatullah Khan here on Friday. Those who attended the meeting were Chairman of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) Mian Zahid Hussain, Chairman of the F B Area Association of Trade and Industry Amin R. Maniya, Chairman of the North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry Mohammad Sadiq and its Executive Director Muzammil Hussain, and Senior Vice-chairman of the Landhi Association of Trade and Industry Dawood Usman. Representatives and officials of many other associations were also present.
The city nazim issued directives for the holding of a meeting of the Board, formed to oversee development and other works in the industrial areas, next week. He told the participants that the city government was taking measures towards development of all industrial areas in the city in order to resolve the problems being faced by industrialists.
The businessmen, appreciating the CDGK's efforts, said that it would be possible for the authorities to maintain international standards if the revenues collected under the heads of property tax, water and sewerage tax, trade licence fee, conservancy tax, NFU, ground rent, etc., was spent in developing these areas.
The city nazim has constituted separate industrial development boards for four industrial areas with responsibility to carry out development work and resolve the related problems.
City Nazim will be the chairman of the boards whereas the DCO and chairman of the concerned industrial association will be co-chairmen. DG of the Export Promotion Bureau, Nazim of an industrial area, EDO Works & Services, EDO Water & Sanitation, EDO Export & Investment Promotion, and four representatives of a trade association would be members of the board. EDO E&IP has been appointed as secretary of the board.
KUTCHI ABADIS: The number of Kutchi Abadis in the city has increased from 538, as notified in 1985, to about 1,000 over the years, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said.
Speaking at a public meeting at Darveesh Colony, a Kutchi Abadi in UC-1, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town, last night, he said 538 slums were notified by the government in 1985, however, according to the city government's Kutchi Abadi department, the number of such slum areas in the city had swelled to about 1,000.
The nazim said, initially, lease would be granted to those 538 Kutchi Abadis which fell under the control of the city government, however, any decision about the remaining 462 slums would also be taken shortly.
The nazim announced that the process of granting lease would be started in a week from Darveesh Colony, and made it clear that no CDGK official was authorized to issue the lease except him. He also inaugurated a lease office in the colony.
He said that import and custom duties and sales tax would not be levied on import of new buses under the Urban Transport Service, and added that he had talked to the Central Board of Revenue chairman, who had assured him of taking steps in this respect.
He said modern technology was being used in construction of roads in the city, so that these could be saved from any damage due to the rains. "Currently, the Karachi Port Trust was executing four projects, Pakistan Steel two projects and Export Promotion Bureau on two projects under the Taameer-i-Karachi Program," he said.
On the water supply schemes, the nazim said that K-III project was already under way for supply of 100mgd water, while the work on feasibility of K-IV project was also in its final stage. After completion of these projects, there would be no shortage of water in Karachi, he added.
The city nazim also spoke on plan to establish ten new colleges, besides construction of modern parks in the city. Gulshan Town Nazim MPA Nasrullah Shajih and others also spoke on the occasion. -PPI
