KARACHI, Feb 26: The Programme Coordinator of Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Teodoro Anana, and Indonesian Women’s Coalition for Justice and Democracy, with a delegation of Urban Resource Centre met the acting chief secretary, Masood-uz-Zaman Masood, and project director of Lyari Expressway Shafiq-ur-Rehman Paracha on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Lyari Expressway Re-establishment Programme was discussed. Project Director Shafiq-ur-Rehman Paracha informed the delegation that 16,000 families were being provided better residential facilities.

He stated that every displaced family was granted 80 square yards plot and Rs 50,000 cash.

The place from where they have been shifted had no basic necessities of life”, he said.

He said committees, comprising community development workers, were helping shifted people while three social welfare officers were busy providing employment, education and health care facilities to them.

Shafiq-ur-Rehman Paracha said people had illegally occupied land around Lyari River and constructed houses, godowns, mechanical workshops and cattle-pens, all of which came under encroachment.

The delegation praised the re-establishment scheme and expressed hope that the shifted families would have a better standard of life. —PPI