Victims of three nullahs: Sindh govt decides to construct 6,500 housing units

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday decided to construct 6,500 housing units over an area of 248 acres to resettle the affectees of three nullahs in the Malir Development Authority area.

“Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has categorically directed his provincial government to resettle the affected people of three main nullas - Gujjar, Mahmoodabad, and Orangi,” Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said and added he has already allocated Rs 1 billion for the development of 248 acres the MDA has handed over to the local government.

The meeting was held at CM House on Thursday and was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, and others.

Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah presented two proposals saying that the affected people of the three nullas may either be given properly developed 80 sq yard plots and a substantial amount to construct their houses or their houses may be constructed by the local government department.

Nasir Shah said that the land measuring 248 acres has already been handed over to the Local Government department by the MDA and the amount of Rs 1 billion approved by the CM was with the local government for development. He added that his department was ready to develop the plots and hand them over to the affected people or construct the houses.

The cabinet discussed the matter thoroughly, and most of them were in favour of constructing 6,500 housing units for the affected people as directed by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto. Minister Information Sharjeel Memon said that handing over the plots to the affected people would start real estate business activities in the areas, therefore the houses should be constructed through experienced and well-reputed firms to provide them with respectable accommodation.

The CM directed his Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab and Advocate General to approach the Supreme Court and get the money of Bahria Town deposited there so that work could be expedited, meanwhile, the local government department must start development of the project by providing them with utility services.

Minister Local Government Nasir Shah, to a question, told the cabinet that the affected people were being given monthly rent of Rs 15,000 each which is also an unprecedented initiative of the provincial government. He told the cabinet the project would cost around Rs 10 billion, and its PC-I has been approved by the chief ministers.

Houses for flood-affected people:

Minister Revenue Makhdoom Mahboob Zaman told the cabinet that the houses that collapsed in the recent heavy rains and floods were constructed on government land. He added that the Board of Revenue on the chief minister’s directives carried out an exercise and found that the land of the collapsed houses could be regularized under Gothabad Scheme, Gothabad Housing programme, regularisation of the village program, and Katchiabadi Act.

The cabinet decided to regularise the houses, as per their category, so that they could be given money for the construction of the house under the ongoing Peoples Housing programme. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to issue an order to the concerned DCs to expedite the regularization of the plots at the earliest so that the affected people could be given benefit.

Budget Manual: The Finance dept presented Budget Manual Management. The CM briefing the cabinet said that budgeting was one of the most important functions of the government which spelled out the anticipated expenditures and projected revenues for the next financial year. To regulate these affairs a budget manual was issued in 1955.

However, since then, a number of advancements have taken place in the realm of Public Financial Management, especially relating to the principles, approaches, and types of budgeting in the public sector.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023