KARACHI: The Supreme Court-mandated commission on water and sanitation in Sindh on Friday expressed dissatisfaction on a policy submitted by the provincial government regarding conversion of industrial plots into commercial ones and directed the authorities to review it.

After repeated directives of the commission, the provincial authorities came up with the policy and placed it before the commission regarding conversion of industrial spaces into commercial in the SITEs across the province.

According to the policy, all plots or parts of industrial plots, which have been converted into commercial and where no construction activity has yet started, SITE will immediately initiate the process of cancellation of their conversion and the deposited fee will be returned.

All those plots, which have been converted into commercial and where buildings or structures are being constructed, SITE will charge an additional lump sum amount, which will be utilised for carrying out development and maintenance work of water and sewerage network, it added.

It further said that in future, SITE will be restrained from converting industrial plots into commercial ones apart from allowing essential trades, ancillary to industrial development to be operated on industrial plots, adding that all encroachments, which were obstructing the flow of drains, in all estates of SITE will be removed by SITE itself or with the assistance of relevant authorities where required.

The tariff being charged from commercial as well as industrial plots will be reviewed by the government or board as may be decided and will be implemented in all estates. The generated amount will be utilised to cover deficit of SITE and carrying out development and maintenance of water and sewerage while all commercial businesses being carried out on converted industrial plots will be charged annual rent on commercial rates, it concluded.

However, the commission, headed by retired Justice Amir Hani Muslim, observed that the policy needed to be reviewed since it had direct nexus with fundamental rights of citizens.

The commission questioned the role of SITE and said that the government framed policy to regulate the conversion of industrial spaces by SITE without examining the authority of SITE and whether it was competent to grant permission of such nature.

This issue was taken up after mayor of Hyderabad lodged a complaint over the construction of shopping plazas on industrial plots, it observed and added that the construction of such nature without providing civic facilities had multiplied the agonies of the inhabitants, besides drinking water and sewerage system had also collapsed.

“The role of Sindh Building Control Authority, which has granted approval, is also beyond comprehension. There is no institutional mechanism within the Sindh government to address this issue. The policy needs to be reviewed. The policy has given discretion to the SITE,” it added.

The commission said it expected that the government will review the police and address all the issues.

Healthcare-related projects

Meanwhile, the commission took exception to an inordinate delay in completion of healthcare-related projects by the works department and directed its secretary to file an undertaking reflecting time frame for completion of assignments since the delay had made the life of people miserable in the province.

The people are being denied immediate healthcare though the machinery and the equipment are available; the same is not being installed for want of proper structure of buildings which are transferred to the works department some three to four months back, it added.

The commission, which is set to complete its tenure on Jan 15, warned that if the undertaking was not filed immediately, the matter will be referred to the apex court.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2019