KARACHI, Oct 19: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has said that promise made with the residents of kutchi abadis has been fulfilled by initiation of lease granting process for 278 kutchi abadis in the city.

He stated this while inaugurating the lease camps set up for kutchi abadis from Iqbal Baloch Colony to Raja Tanveer Colony and Mominabad in Orangi Sector 11 on Monday.

Chairman, kutchi Abadis Committee, Goharul Islam, chairman, Community Development, Qazi Saddaruddin, Coordinator to the city nazim, Abid Ilyas, UCs nazims Raees Kazmi, Shakeel Ahmed, Syed Azharul Haq, Hashmat Khan, Shehnaz Perveen, district officer, kutchi abadis, Razia Sultana, and other officials concerned also attended the inaugural ceremony.

The city nazim noted that lease rates ranging from Rs450 to Rs2,500 per sq-yd in 1999 were beyond the reach of poor dwellers of these localities, due to which lease process could not be initiated in the last five years.

"City government has fixed Rs25 per sq-d for the convenience of poor dwellers, which is in consonance with the rates of 1989, and this could not be reduced further," he added.

He maintained that residents of kutchi abadis would be granted ownership rights in their own areas by setting up of lease camps.

About development work in Orangi Town, the city nazim said that construction of Shahrah-i-Orangi was the responsibility of the town administration concerned, but the city government had made the commitment to construct this road, and now the work had been started on the road at the cost of Rs500 million under the Tameer-i-Karachi Programme. Later, the city nazim inaugurated the lease camp in the area.

Meanwhile, speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Mominabad lease camp, Naimatullah Khan said that Orangi Town administration was working without a legitimate nazim, which was unjust, demanding that Shahid Alam alias Gudu Biahari be reinstated as town nazim immediately.

He said model parks would be developed in all towns and asked the UCs nazims to identify possible sites for construction of such park in Orangi Town.

He held out the assurance that after the construction of Shahrah-i-Orangi, new large-size buses would be launched in the town to provide better transportation facilities to the area people.

"We are carrying out development work in all areas of the city without any discrimination, and all areas would be treated equally and in a just way," he added.

The city nazim also inaugurated development works at Shahrah-i-Orangi, whereas work was also being initiated to lay waterlines in the area at a cost of Rs2.2 million, construction of road at Rs60 million and sewerage lines at Rs6 million.

COMPLAINT CELL: The city nazim on Tuesday inaugurated a mobile complaint cell float of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town at the Civic Centre.