Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday underlined the need for developing the Kachi Abadis on modern lines to have all facilities like schools, colleges, hospitals, commercial areas, mosques, parks and playgrounds and open spaces for roads.

He said that the poor class had been ignored in the past and it was essential to initiate measures to raise their living standards. He stated this while chairing a follow-up meeting on transformation of Kachi Abadis into developed areas, at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The meeting was attended by Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, MPA Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Chairman Naya Pakistan Housing Authority (NPHA) Lt. General (r) Anwar Hyder, Secretary to President Tariq Najeeb Najmi, Secretary Housing & Works Imran Zeb Khan, Deputy Chairman NPHA Major General Amir Aslam, Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman, businessman Aqeel Karim Dhedhi and ex-chairman Association of Builders & Developers of Pakistan Hassan Bakhshi, while MNA Najeeb Haroon and Chairman Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Mr. Samar Ali Khan, participated in the meeting through a video conference from Karachi.

The meeting reviewed various proposals to transform the Kachi Abadis into living areas. It discussed different options to constructively utilize the government land in Karachi. The meeting constituted a sub-committee, under the Chairmanship of Governor Sindh, Imran Ismail, with the mandate to find some workable solution into the federal government land and quarters illegally occupied by the people.

The meeting also constituted another sub-committee, to be headed by Secretary Ministry of Housing, to devise a conceptual architectural plan for the development of government land and flats occupied by illegal occupants, and submit the report within six weeks. It also emphasized to study regional best practices with regard to transformation of Kachi Abadis into developed areas and apply the same model in Pakistan for the uplift of Kachi Abadis. It was agreed to take all stakeholders on board before initiating the development plan for Kachi Abadis and federal government land and quarters in Karachi.