KARACHI, Sept 20: The Sindh government has ordered survey of 808 goths (villages) located in the limits of Karachi for the purpose of granting them lease rights.
A high-powered committee has been set up to prepare and submit a report in this regard by Nov 15 after which the lease process will be started.
Officials at the meeting said that Karachi had been divided into six zones to solve the lingering problem of regularisation of a large number of goths and their infrastructure uplift. A survey of the 808 goths, falling in these zones, with the help of modern Geographic Information System (GIS) was planned.
Provincial Revenue Minister Dr Irfan Gul Magsi on Thursday chaired a meeting in his office to discuss the plan. Senior Member of the Board of Revenue Syed Anwar Haider, Director General of the Malir Development Authority Amirzada Kohati, Project Director of the Goth Abad Scheme Abdul Jabbar Abbasi, Director of the Malir Development Authority Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, Director Settlements Tariq Memon, CDGK District Revenue Officer Fiasal Uqaili, Mukhtiarkar of the Goth Abad Scheme Asif Jan Siddiqui and Superintendent City Survey Department Mohammad Khan Samo attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the issues relating to the actual area, present delimitation, survey and leasing/ownership rights of each goth. It gave final shape to the six zones — Gadap Town, Bin Qasim Town, Malir Town, MDA, LDA and Keamari Town — for the purpose of conducting the survey.
A committee was also constituted to prepare a comprehensive Deh-wise report based on the presence of goths in the relevant Deh maps as per the survey of 1996.
Dr Magsi told the meeting that modern equipment would be provided to the teams conducting the survey to ensure transparency and fair play.
He noted that the 1996 survey showed existence of 808 goths in Karachi. Some of these goths had already been regularised and the remaining ones had to be regularised after necessary procedures, he added. The minister said that land-grabbing in the name of goths and Goth Abad Scheme must now be brought to an end.
A central committee has been set up to monitor and facilitate the survey process. The survey would be based on the list of goths prepared on the basis of the 1996 cut-off date and includes the goths shown in the old revenue department maps.
Dr Magsi said that no one would be allowed to set up an illegal goth or occupy government land in the name of a goth.
He observed that residents of legitimate goths had been waiting for ownership rights of their residences for long and the government would fulfill its commitment of granting them the rights at all costs.
However, he added, stern action would be taken against land-grabbers and the mafia involved in such practices.
The high-powered committee set up at the meeting comprises the following officials:
Gadap Town Zone: Project director of the Goth Abad Scheme, director settlement survey, district officer revenue, Karachi, survey superintendent and the mukhtiarkar concerned.
Bin Qasim Town Zone: ADO revenue, mukhtiarkar and a representative of settlement survey.
Malir Town Zone: ADO revenue, mukhtiarkar and a representative of the settlement survey.
MDA Zone: Director estate MDA, Goth Abad mukhtiarkar and a representative of settlement survey.
LDA Zone: Director estate LDA, Goth Abad mukhtiarkar and a representative of settlement survey.
Keamari Town Zone: ADO revenue, mukhtiarkar and a representative of settlement survey.—PPI