KARACHI, June 26: The governing body of the Sindh Kutchi Abadis Authority (SKAA), which met here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of the provincial minister for local government, housing and town planning, labour and industries, Dewan Muhammad Yousuf Farooqui, approved the annual SKAA budget for the year 2002-03, which also envisages the launching of a low-cost housing scheme in eight cities and towns of the province.
The low-cost housing scheme was planned on the directives of President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Karachi on Dec 25, 2001. The task was assigned to the SKAA.
Addressing the meeting, Dewan Yousuf said that the President was very keen to provide low-cost housing facilities to the people belonging to low-income groups. It is in light of his directives that the Sindh government has decided to offer land to poor people at reasonable rates and has provided Rs50 million as seed capital, he added.
The minister was informed that the chief secretary has addressed two letters to all the District Nazims and DCOs, asking them to identify suitable land for the schemes. In the meantime, the SKAA itself has identified some locations for launching the schemes.
Dewan Yousuf urged the Nazims of the rest of the districts to extend their full cooperation and identify the locations for launching low-cost housing schemes in their respective areas.
He maintained that the present government emphasizes more on providing shelter to the poor people through these schemes, instead of encouraging illegal and ill-planned growth of slums and kutchi abadis.
These locations are at Sector 19/A, Baldia Township (75 acres of land available); Sikandarabad, Kotri (12 acres land vacant); near Massan Village, Thatta (66 acres land); Mirbahar Mohalla, Gharo (01.0 acre land); near Sachal Sarmast Society, Larkana (Two acres land); Deh Nasirabad, Sukkur (10 acres land); Deh Erazi, Ghotki (16 acres land) and Kairpur (a committee has been formed to identify the location).
It was informed that all these sites were inspected by the SKAA DG and have been found suitable for launching the scheme. Physical survey of the sites has been completed.
As regards progress on regularization of existing kutchi abadis, the minister was informed that out of the 929 notified kutchi abadis, so far 702 have been regularized and 131,000 proprietary rights have been granted to bonafide occupants of the abadis in the province.
The governing body approved the budget estimates of Rs93.926 million for the year 2002-03, which include an allocation of Rs50 million for the low-cost housing scheme. The estimates show a receipt of Rs33.959 million against the estimated target of Rs48.807 million, as the economy measures were adopted keeping in view low receipts.—PPI