Sindh Assembly on Wednesday called for Islamabad's directives to the impediments creating federal agencies like Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan Railways (PR), etc, to issue NOCs to Sindh government for regularisation of Katchi Abadis in the province.
It also called upon the federal government to direct financial institutions for disbursement of fresh agriculture loan to last year's rain affected paddy growers on priority basis. The provincial legislature unanimously passed four out-of-turn treasury-backed resolutions.
The third resolution, tabled by Information Minister Shazia Marri commemorating April 22 as Earth Day, pledged to make maximum endeavours to minimise greenhouse emissions for sustainable development and to save the delta of Indus from further devastation. The fourth resolution, moved by Sharjeel Inam Memon, called for establishment of complaint centres and toll-free phone numbers in each department of Sindh government to facilitate the masses.
The resolution for regularisation of Katchi Abadis said: "Whereas in order to carry out the programme of improvement, development and regularisation of Katchi Abadis in the province...and whereas it is necessary to remove the major impediment in regularisation of Katchi Abadis, created by the Karachi Port Trust, Railways Authorities and other Federal Organisations.
"Now, therefore, this Assembly resolves and recommends to the government of Sindh to approach the federal government to issue directives for NOC regarding regularisation of Katchi Abadis in the province of Sindh by the federal agencies such as... Evacuee Trust Properties Board and others which are creating impediment due to which the improvement in economic and social development programs of the province of Sindh are being affected."
Mover Rafique Engineer said that on November 20, 2008 the President had directed his department to regularise all Katchi Abadis of Sindh in consultation with the Law Department.
He said the poor people of at least 109 Katchi Abadis of Sindh were looking at the PPP government, whose manifesto was topped by the slogan of "Roti, Kapra or Makan" for ownership of their abodes. The MPA from Lyari said that Section 19 of 1987s law had made it mandatory for Sindh government to obtain NOC from the land-owning federal organisations, like KPT, Railway Authorities, Evacuee Trust Properties Board, etc, before regularising the slums.
He said that Katchi Abadis like Docks Colony, Majeed Colony, Machar Colony, Ghareeb Abad, Metro, Usmania Colony, Patel Para, Baloch Colony, Moosa Colony, Punjabi Colony and some areas of Lyari Town were given to the federal agencies for operational purposes.
Sardar Ahmed of MQM said that in 1888 the Government of Bombay was the owner of lands now controlled by Railways, which was then termed as an occupant. "After Bombay government, the land belongs to the Sindh government. So, you should first get its ownership then go ahead with the regularisation," he said.
Terming it an "illegal" activity, Sardar drew attention of the house towards land auctioning by Pakistan Railways in Sukkur, and added that 50 percent of the land price should go to the provincial government. Rafique agreed when Amir Nawab, of ANP, urged the house to also consider regularisation of those irremovable slums, which had come into being after 1985 in Karachi.
On the resolution on Earth Day, Dr Sikandar Ali Mundhro proposed to the government of Pakistan to make use of carbon dioxide by selling it in the market, like US which, he said, was not following the environment-friendly Kyoto Protocol. Meanwhile, Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro announced that last date for submission of forms for Benazir Bhutto Income Support Program was April 25. However, those MPAs who had got the forms belatedly could submit the same by April 30.
The voices of "shame, shame" were raised when lights inside the Assembly Hall went off. Raza Haroon, of MQM, lashed out at KESC management when Transport Minister Akhtar Jadoon said: "Bear it (the load shedding), as the masses do for hours".
The IT minister said neither general public nor MPAs should bear power outages caused by KESC mismanagement. Earlier, Minister for Irrigation and Power, Murad Ali Shah, responded to various supplementary questions during Question Hour. The election to Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges was again deferred till next sitting. The house will reassemble on Thursday at 9:30 am.