Sindh govt to allot plots to displaced people of Gujjar, Orangi Nullahs: CM Murad Ali Shah

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that on directives from Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the provincial government has decided to allot 80 square yards plots to all the 6,500 families displaced in an ongoing operation to remove encroachments from along the embankments of the Gujjar and Orangi storm water drains.

“Since the affected people too poor to construct their houses, we would like to request the Supreme Court of Pakistan to provide Rs10 billion being recovered from Bahria Town to spend on the construction of over 6,500 houses, development of road, drainage and water supply infrastructure in the Malir district and to construct a drainage system on the left bank of the River Indus,” he said while addressing a press conference at the CM House.

Shah was accompanied by cabinet members Syed Nasir Shah, Sohail Anwar Siyal and law adviser Murtaza Wahab. He said the PPP chairman had directed the provincial government to provide houses to the displaced people of Gujjar and Orangi Nullahs. “The federal government has agreed to give two months’ rent to the affected people at a rate of Rs15,000 per month, and it has also agreed to provide them with apartments in Naya Pakistan Housing schemes,” he said. “The manifesto of the PPP calls for the provision of shelter to the shelter-less; therefore, it is responsible to provide houses to the affected people.”

The chief minister said he had decided that the 80-square- yard plots be provided to each displaced family either in Taiser Town or in the LDA’s Scheme 42. “The people who had no money or resources had settled along the embankments of the Nullas and obviously they would have no resources to construct an 80-square-yard house,” he said and added the resources of the Sindh government were also limited; therefore, the cabinet had decided to file three applications in the Supreme Court.

According to the first application, the government has decided to provide an 80-square-yard plot to each affected family, the construction of each house would cost one million rupees and the total amount would come to Rs3.5 billion along with the construction of the entire infrastructure of roads, draining and water supply. Therefore, the funds being recovered from Bahria Town may be provided for the construction of the houses.

The second application would be about District Malir, where a large number of development schemes, including that of water, sewerage, roads and storm water drains, were being launched to develop the area, Shah said and added that the government was facing a shortage of funds; therefore, the funds being recovered from Bahria Town may be given to the government to gear up the pace of development in Malir.

The third application would state that the various districts located on the Left Bank of River Indus such as Badin, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar get inundated whenever it rains heavily, the CM said, adding that the irrigation department in 2013 had prepared a drainage scheme to dispose of rainwater from Left Bank area, but due to the paucity of funds the scheme had not been launched in full swing.

The chief minister said that the Supreme Court would be requested through the third application to divert the funds of Bahria Town to the Left Bank drainage scheme.

He stated that all these schemes would cost around Rs10 billion; “therefore, through three applications, to be filed on Saturday morning, the Supreme Court would be requested to divert Rs10 billion being recovered from Bahria Town to these schemes so that they could be completed in time”.

“We would have no objection if the Supreme Court appoints a monitoring judge or monitors itself the implementation of the said schemes,” he announced.

Nasla Towner

Talking about Nasla Tower in Karachi, Shah said his government respected the verdict of the Supreme Court and would implement it. “We want a way out to save the investment of the residents who have purchased apartments there,” he said added that Nasla Tower could be regularised just as Bani Gala had been regularised.

Brushing aside the impression of his government’s involvement in construction of the Nasla Tower, the CM said the land was allotted in 1950 and then its status kept changing through one approval to the other.

He said the cantonment authority had also given its approval and the SBCA too had overlooked minor violations. “But it doesn’t mean that due to a mistake of an officer, all the residents/allottees of the tower be punished,” he said and went on to say that the residents were going to the Supreme Court for a review of the apex court’s judgement and his government would also request a review.

Inquiry commission

The chief minister disclosed that the provincial cabinet had decided to request the Supreme Court to allow the constitution of an inquiry commission under a retired judge or a retired grade BS-21 officer to inquire into the matters of the allotment of land, approval of layout plans, overlooking violations or allowing extra lands to all the controversial projects and fix the responsibility in this regard.

The commission would scrutinise the allotment of apartments, shops, showrooms etc. and would identify the involved officers/elected representatives, he said, adding that the commission would also explore the legal position whether such projects could be regularised or not.

Presidential system

The chief minister, replying to a question about the introduction of the presidential form of system as proposed by the prime minister, said he [the PM] was confused which system of governance should be adopted.

“Once he said in his interview that the Muslims have lagged behind the non-Muslim nations because they adopted kingdoms, and then he says Riyast-e-Madina is the best system to adopt and then said the Chinese form of government was most successful,” he said and stressed that the premier himself was not clear which system was the best.

Shah said that the parliamentary form of government was one of the best systems that had delivered the goods all over the world. “Our constitution also allows a parliamentary system, and we have to strengthen it,” he said.