In a move to bring katchi abadies in the township, the Sindh government on Thursday has decided to provide basic facilities, including road infrastructure to 100 katchi abadies established all over Sindh. Presiding over a meeting on the issues of katchi abadies here at CM House, chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed Sindh Katchi Abadies Authority (SKAA) to prepare a plan to upgrade 100 katchi abadies located in all the divisions by providing them basic facilities and road infrastructure.
Giving presentation to chief minister Secretary SKKA Dr Nawaz Shaikh said that there were 1,409 katchi abadies stretching over 25,944 acres in the province, of them 948 are notified, 344 un-notified, 117 are established on the federal government land which has notified only 30 katchi abadies.
He further said that so far mutation of 80 katchi abadies land has been made while the joint demarcation of only 227 abadies has been made so far. Talking about 129 katchi abadies established on the federal government land, he said 80 abadies are on railways' land, 10 defence land, 10 on Pak PWD, eight on KLTP, 29 ETPB, one T&T and another on Wapda's land. He said that 82 abadies are located on the land of different province departments which include 29 KMC, eight on SITE, one on jail, 18 on Irrigation, four on Auqaf, two on food, 18 on local councils and one on Works & Services department.
Replying to a question of the chief minister, the secretary SKAA said that Karachi has 564 katchi abadies, of them 56 are located on hazardous areas like nadi nulllah. Dr Nawaz Shaikh giving details of 417 Katchi abadies in Hyderabad division said that Hyderabad has 203, Dadu 28, Badin 45, Thatta 46, Tando Allahyar 15, Tando Mohammad Khan nine, Matyrai 20, Jamshoro 21 and Sujawal has 30. Out of 417 only 200 katchi abadies are notified and 217 are yet to be notified. The case of 117 katchi abadies has been taken up for regularisation.
The chief minister was informed that Mirpurkhas Division has 81 katchi abadies, including 17 in Tharparkar and 23 in Umerkot. Out of 81 abadies 47 are regularised, 30 are in regularisation process and 34 are not notified. In Sukkur Division, there are 91 katchi abadies, including 22 in Ghotki and 18 Khairpur. Of them 60 are notified, 43 are in regularisation and 31 are not regularised.
Larkana Division has 112, including 18 in Kamaber/Shahdadkot, 14 Shikarpur, 29 in Jacobabad and 17 in Kashmore. Out of 112 abadies 69 are notified, 38 are in the process while 43 are not notified. Similarly, in Shaheed Benazirabad Division, there are 144 katchi abadies, including 60 in Sanghar, 31 in Naushehroferoze and 53 in Benazirabad/Nawabshah. Only 90 abadies are notified, 60 are in the process while 54 have not been taken up for notification.
Secretary SKAA Dr Nawaz Shaikh said the criterion for regularisation of a katchi abadi is the settlement should be in existence on or before March 23, 1985. The settlement must have at least 40 dwelling units. Replying to a question, the secretary SKAA told the chief minister that the societies not taken up for regularisation have the issues of their settlement on federal or KMC land and most of them located on Sindh government land have not been demarcated.
The chief minister taking decision directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee under Senior Member BoR Rizwan Memon, Secretary SKAA Dr Nawaz Shaikh and Secretary Local government Baqaullah Unar as its members. The committee would examine the demarcation cases and finalise the matter within 30 days.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah taking another policy decision directed SKAA to prepare a plan to upgrade 100 katchi abadies located in all the divisions by providing them basic facilities and road infrastructure. Explaining the criteria of the abadies to be upgraded must be notified with clear boundaries, clear from all kind of litigation. He said that he was keen to provide them good facilities by changing their lifestyle. The chief minister appointed MPA Murtaza Baloch as member of SKAA governing body in place of MPA Irum Khalid.
He directed SMBR Rizwan Memon to look after the govt's lands properly. The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to CM on Katchi Abadies Murtaza Baloch, Senior Member Board of Revenue Rizwan Memon, Secretary Sindh Katchi Abadies Authority (SKAA) Dr Nawaz Shaikh, Director General Katchi Abadies Akhtar Bugti and others.