KARACHI, Jan 4: Over 1,150 Kachchi Abadies out of 1,293 situated in Sindh, are regularisable while 929 katchi abadis have been notified by the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority .

According to official sources, 539 katchi abadis are in Karachi, 472 in Hyderabad, 170 in Sukkur and 112 in Larkana.

There are 483 regularisable katchi abadis in Karachi, 436 in Hyderabad, 143 in Sukkur and 95 in Larkana.

Of the notified Katchi Abadis, 187 are in Karachi, 362 in Hyderabad 116 in Sukkur and 64 in Larkana.

The present government has assigned top priority to the work of regularisation and upgradation of katchi abadis.

The President had announced policy guidelines on Jan 15, for helping the poor people living in these katchi abadis. It was also a part of the overall strategy to reduce poverty in the country.

The salient features of the policy were that the process of regularisation and upgradation of pre-1985 katchi abadis will continue with full vigour, while all land owning agencies have been asked to inventorise all those settlements which have come into existence illegally after that date.

The authority has given leased hold rights to 702 settlements which is about 75 per cent of the work and the remaining work will be completed as soon as possible.

The regularisable katchi abadis in Sindh are spread over an area of 23,915 acres, out of which 21,244 acres under katchi abadis has been surveyed and regularisation plans have been prepared.—APP