Will personally end illegal occupation of public, private land in Karachi: Sindh CM

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that the administration’s helpless in front of the land grabbing mafia is discouraging.

“Karachi’s land belongs to its citizens. It is not some inaccessible land that cannot be trespassed for development work,” said Shah during a session of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority (SSWMA).

“I will personally ensure that all illegal occupation of public or private land ends,” said the provincial chief minister.

The SSWMA briefed the provincial CM on the obstacles they face while accessing landfill sites and transferring garbage to Korangi and other areas in the city.

Local Government, Housing and Town Planning Minister Jam Khan Shoro told the Murad Ali Shah that the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) had allotted land to the SSWMA to construct a garbage transfer station in Korangi.

The CM ordered the authorities to take the necessary steps to clear the ownership record issue of the land by making sure that the power to allot the land rests with KDA.

A committee comprising of the Karachi Commissioner, Land Utilisation Member, KDA Director General, and Karachi Police Additional Inspector General (AIG) was formed at the chief minister’s directives for the compilation and preservation of the recovered land’s record.

In a separate statement here on Tuesday, the Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair said, “Pakistan Rangers Sindh will continue to serve Karachi so as to sustain peace and stability in the once most violence-prone and disturbed city of the country.”

The governor, while talking to a delegation of local trader’s association said that social, political and economic activities in the city have been revived after the restoration of peace during past few years.

“We cannot allow to let go in vain the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan Army, Rangers, Police and other law enforcers for Karachi and the citizens,” he said.

The governor further stated that a control over the law and order situation that has led to the restoration of both, the local and international communities will result in a steady increase in the number of foreigners visiting Karachi.

He said that the federal government was making a due contribution to the development of Karachi’s much-warranted infrastructure. He also acknowledged that street crime remains a major issue and assured the citizens that a network of closed-circuit cameras is being installed with the Citizen Police Liaison Committee’s (CPLC) active involvement.

“The situation has markedly improved across the country,” he observed.