The Sindh government sees the slums as terrorists abode in the province and would not regularise such residential colonies. Sindh Katchi Abadis Minister Javed Nagori while responding to questions during the short-lived Sindh Assembly session, he said that the government would not also regularise any residential society with narrow roads blocking movements of ambulances and fire-tenders during emergencies.
Rumpus by opposition hit the house when Sindh Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar was answering on behalf of Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali, who has also the portfolio of Food Minister as well. The assembly session failed to live out to its business due to opposition's protest on non-fixation of sugarcane price in the province and made Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza lose her temper to adjourn the house abruptly till Monday.
Nagori told the house that the provincial government had decided to disqualify slums for regularisation due to terrorism incidents and lack of wider roads, which hinder rescue operations during emergency. "Yes, Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority intends to regularise Katchi Abadis that exists on government lands prior to 23 March, 1985 and inventorised by the Authority," he answered to a question, saying that the government carried out regularisation under its Katchi Abadi Authority Act 1987.
"A per existing government policy for regularisation of Katchi Abadis, all the illegal settlements comprising of 40 or more built-up units and exists on government land [federal and provincial government] prior to 23 March, 1985 and included the master list of Sindh Katchi Abadis can be regularised under the provisions of Sindh Katchi Abadis Act, 1987 and Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority Regulation's 1993, when applied by the residents of such settlements, after completing all codal formalities...," he said in a written answer. He however made it clear that land falling under High tension electricity lines, roads and those areas reserved for other amenities as per the provisions of Sindh Katchi Abadis Act, 1987 would not be regularised.
While asking a supplementary question, PML-F's woman lawmaker, Nusrat Sehar Abbasi asked a question from Jam Mehtab Dahar about sugarcane support price fixation, which pushed the house into disorder, as Sindh Senior Education Minister, Nisar Khuhro to aid the answering minister, objected to the query saying "a supplementary question should be regarding wheat as the main question was about it."
Just earlier he told the house that the support price for wheat had been fixed at Rs 950 per 40 kilogram in 2011, Rs 1050 in 2012, and Rs 1200 in 2013. In 2011, the government procured 1.412 metric tons of wheat, in 2012 some 1.290 metric tons and in 2013 1.039 metric tons, he said. The opposition members started their protest from their seats but later gathered in front of the chair to pile up pressure on the deputy speaker, as she lost her patience and adjourned the session, leaving the assembly's entire business unattended.
Call attention notices, privilege and adjournment motions and a key government bill "The Sindh Allied Health Professional Council Bill, 2014", failed to sail in through the house. Latter the opposition told media outside the assembly building that the chair did not allow them to discuss matters of urgent importance such as sugarcane price. The opposition lawmakers including former Chief Minister Sindh, Ghulam Arbab Rahim and PML-N's lawmaker Ijaz Shah Sherazi also criticised the Prime Minister for 'abandoning Sindh'.
Leader of the opposition Shaharyar Khan Mahar (PML-F), MQM's Khwaja Izharul Hassan and former Chief Minister Sindh Liaquat Jatoi also slammed the PPP government for not attending public issues. They said the sugar mills owners were not lifting the cane leaving the growers in financial troubles, as the government had failed to solve the issue.