KARACHI, Aug 28: Sindh Ombudsman Yousuf Jamal and City Nazim Naimatullah Khan have decided to forward a summary to Chief Minister Arbab Rahim within a week for allocating a piece of land to shift goldsmiths' workshops from Saddar.

This was decided at a meeting, chaired by the ombudsman, held at his office on Saturday to review the implementation on the decision of shifting goldsmiths' workshops from Saddar to some other area.

At the meeting, the ombudsman set up a three-member committee, comprising DCO Mir Hussain Ali, EDO (Revenue) Waseem Ahmed and KBCA Chief Controller Brig (retd) A.S. Nasir. It was decided that the committee would finalize the details of land allotment for goldsmiths in the city and submit a report within a week.

Among others, the meeting was attended by the Secretary Labour Transport, Industries and Commerce, Nasar Hayat; Saddar Town Nazim, Farooq Fariya; Town Police Officer, Sanaullah Abbasi; Additional DIG (Operations), Abdullah Shaikh; the managing director of SITE, Hashim Zaidi; and the deputy director of Sindh Environment Protection Agency, Irfanullah Tunio.

The ombudsman, earlier in his order issued in August 2003, had directed the chief controller of buildings to "ensure that all illegal, environment degrading goldsmith workshops in Saddar are dismantled within a period of three months".

The secretary of environmental and alternate energy and SEPA's director-general had to monitor the process of dismantling the workshops and submit monthly reports to the ombudsman while the Capital City Police Officer and City Nazim were asked to extend cooperation to these agencies under the relevant law.

However, the ombudsman's order was not complied with and the complainants filed applications against violation of his orders, seeking immediate shifting of goldsmiths' workshops from their area.

When the matter came up at the meeting on Saturday, KBCA's chief controller Brig A.S Nasir said that owing to fear of law and order situation, no action was taken by his department to dismantle the goldsmith workshops from the area.

The ombudsman expressed his annoyance against the KBCA and other agencies for not complying with his orders and directed the authorities concerned to act seriously on his orders for the redressal of complainants' grievances.

The meeting agreed that the city government would provide an alternate piece of land after seeking permission from the chief minister for which the nazim and the ombudsman will jointly forward a summary within a week. -PPI