KARACHI, Oct 21: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has said that the city government is taking all steps to provide equal facilities of education, health, electricity, water and sewerage and other amenities to the residents of kutchi abadis.

All necessary development works would also be carried out in these areas so as to undo the discrimination between kutchi and regular abadis.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a lease files distribution ceremony held at the Gizri UC-11 lease camp on Wednesday night.

Naimatullah Khan said there were 589 notified kutchi abadis in Karachi and they formed 52 per cent of the city's population and, therefore, he considered their residents the city's real population.

He said that after taking over as nazim of Karachi, the priorities he had set for the development of the city included grant of lease to kutchi abadis.

However, he said, this programme could not be implemented in full as in 1999 the minimum lease rate had been increased from Rs25 to Rs400 per sq yard and the maximum to Rs2,500. It was a big difference and unbearable for the residents of kutchi abadis.

The city government, therefore, decided to grant lease at the same rate as was applicable in 1989 and after the completion of the required formalities, the programme was now being implemented.

Mr Khan said it was a matter of satisfaction for them that the spirit and commitment with which he and his team had taken over the reign of the city government was aimed at serving the people with honesty.

"I am transferring my responsibilities to people by serving their cause and considering it as a trust with me. It is my firm belief that I have been given the trust along with the office of nazim and to preserve this trust is the only capability which is essential to run the government".

The city nazim said the extent of development carried out in this city during the last 57 years had no comparison to the development works implemented by the city government during the last three years. It was because no regard was shown to the trust of vote.

To Allah, Naimatullah Khan said, only those enjoyed respect who had His fear. The country's history was testimony to the fact that while fulfilling responsibilities, fear of Allah was not made the criteria and on the contrary everything was done on the basis of affiliation to communities, language and area.

He praised the services of residents of Gizri for Karachi and said that basically it was a population of fishermen, who were the oldest and rather real citizens of this city, but were most backward also. They were without the facilities of education, health and employment and it was imperative to improve their conditions.

He assured that problems of fishermen would be solved on a priority basis under an organized plan so that these important people of the history of Karachi might remain involved in protecting the history of Karachi.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman of the Land and Revenue Committee, Goharul Islam, said that on the directive of the nazim, the lease process had been simplified.

He said the price of application form had been kept at Rs25 and all necessary forms had been attached to it.

WB MISSION: A World Bank delegation on Thursday held a meeting with the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, at the city government headquarter at Civic Centre and discussed the effects of new local government system and the development process in Karachi.

The WB delegation comprised Manvela V Ferro, Deepak Mishra, Economist Hanid Mukhtar, Shaheen Malik and other officials.

Briefing the delegation, the city nazim said the system of land department was being computerized to avoid double allotment and other irregularities. Moreover, the entire record pertaining to allotment of the defunct KDA housing schemes would also be computerized.

Speaking of transport, water and sewerage as the major problems of the city, he said that old sewerage lines were being replaced, while a project had been signed with an American company for a desalination plant.

He declared Karachi safe for investment and dispelled the impression that industries were being shifted from Karachi to Lahore. He, however, said the city needed improvement in its infrastructure for development of industries.

He informed the delegation that the city government had signed an agreement with a Chinese company for a mass transit corridor from Sohrab Goth to Tower. - APP/PPI