Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority (SKAA) has begun to issue allotment orders and challan for payment of cost of the allotted plot and 99-year lease money to the residents of Mujahid Colony and Moosa Colony, where the bulk of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh lives.
Authority sources on Saturday said that most of the kutchi abadis in the North Nazimabad area along railway track have been regularised and allotted to such occupants who were living their for more than 25 years.
They said that the process of verification was in progress for more than five years as the land under encroachment was under the control of Pakistan Railways and the railway authorities were not agreeing to surrender it in SKAA.
They said that disagreement on the rate of payment of cost to railways is yet to be settled. There would be proportionate sharing of money between the SKAA and Pakistan railways. They said that more than one thousand occupants have been accommodated in these kutchi abadis.
However, residents of North Nazimabad and old residents of goths along side the railway tracks have contested the claim of the SKAA as most of the allotted land which was under encroachment for years have also been included in katchi abadi and allotted to occupants.
The residents of nearby goths have also appealed the SKAA to look into their grievances and cancel allotment of Goth land. Most of the population that has been accommodated in this kutchi abadi is illegal Bangladeshis who had illegally come to Pakistan and settled in these areas mostly called as Mujahid Colony and Musa Colony.
Local people have questioned the validity of allotment of land to the holders of national identity cards. "Most of the card holders have obtained these cards, and then land illegally."