The Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has once again warned the encroachers to stay away from their criminal activities and refrain from land grabbing in the city, especially cottage industry plots in Landhi, Orangi Town and Baldia Town.
He was presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Cabinet ministers and high officials at the Governor House to review the aggravated problem of land grabbing in Karachi.
Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari, Adviser to Chief Minister on Local Government, Waseem Akhtar, Adviser on Information and Archives, Salahuddin Haider, Additional Chief Secretary Local Governments, Saleem Khan, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan and concerned officials attended the meeting.
The meeting decided that all encroached lands should be recovered from the land grabbers and restored to rightful owners.
The additional chief secretary, Salim Khan, informed the meeting that Landhi Cottage industry had 2334 plots of 200 square yards each. The scheme was launched in 1993. In addition to these plots, the site plan was revised and 493 more plots were carved out and allotted on minister's quota.
These plots were yet to be handed over to the allottees, as encroachments had not been removed. There were also cases under litigation, double allotment complaints and other irregularities.
He said that in the Korangi Cottage Industry Zones, spread over 296 acres, 3946 plots of 200 square yards were created in 1995. In all 3780 applications were received and all of them were entertained. An amount of Rs 120 million was recovered from the allotments. An amount of Rs 374.394 million was still to be recovered, he added.
Salim Khan said that in Baldia Town 73 acres were earmarked for the cottage industry. Nine hundred and sixty applications were received and were allotted plots.
The Additional Chief Secretary said that the government had collected Rs 4.44 million from the allotments while 4000 plots are still available awaiting decision on the fate of the scheme.
The additional chief secretary planning and development informed the meeting that three cottage industry sites were developed and floated by the governor said that industrial zones in and around the city should be revived. He expressed displeasure over the inordinate delay in handing over possessions of the allotted lands and lands recovered from the encroachers to the owners.
Ibad said that disturbances in the cottage industry zones had delayed setting up of units and had sent negative message to prospective investors.
The governor said that the cottage industry should be given a package ensuring co-operation of the Small and Medium Size Enterprise Authority in terms of financial assistance.
He said that the Smeda should come up with proposals for small units and guide people in setting up labour intensive cottage industry. Ibad said that once the encroachment had been removed from the small industry zones. These plots should be allotted on merit.
The governor said that separate project directors should be appointed for the three zones so that the process could be expedited and all allotments were processed on merit.
Dr Ibad said that in the present era of small and medium entrepreneurs when there was need for the promotion of cottage industry, no formal sector existed in cottage industry in the city.