The present elected government has been trying to follow the manifesto of socioeconomic uplift of the masses from day one, said Sindh Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Minister Engr Muhammad Rafique Advocate. Rafique was presiding over a governing body meeting regarding the budget of the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) for the year 2011-12 at the SKAA head office.
In the meeting, the proposed budget was estimated at Rs 204.572 million for the year 2011-12 and revised estimates of Rs 88.693 million for the year 2010-11 were approved by the governing body. During the meeting, the Katchi Abadis minister enumerated the priorities for improvement of slums, aiming at shelter for the poor and the shelter-less in accordance with the party manifesto.
He also stressed the need for further streamlining the working of the department and the allied functions of the department. The minister added that the department has emerged as a full-fledged department during the last three years for the betterment of the poor, since the authority was not provided with any funds over a decade; thus, the targets for providing shelter to the slum dwellers could not be achieved.
In connection with developing a network of the department, the minister said that the department would be made self-reliant and turned into a profitable institution, especially seeking grants by the government. He added that the Sindh Chief Minister would be approached to meet the targets for improvement and development of katchi abadis and further new projects and schemes.
The governing body members – Members Provincial Assembly Anwar Khan Mahar and Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto – desired to further improve the authority for yielding the required results together with encouragement and incentives to the employees of the department. During the meeting, Secretary Qabool Ahmed Sheikh urged the staff members to work hard and put in efforts for efficiency and transparency so as to achieve the task for making the authority self-sufficient and profitable.
For making the authority profitable, diversified priorities and plans were suggested, such as making feasibility reports, lease and recovery process and other measures that might cost approximately Rs 16 million, surveys for automation might cost Rs 4 million and preserving old records might cost Rs 1 million. Moreover, internship for the youth and purchasing equipments might cost Rs 8.2 million, and Rs 33.4 million might be spent on development of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Sasti Basti schemes.