KARACHI: Sindh Cabinet taking a clear-cut and historic decision has cancelled illegally allotted 70,000 acres of forest land and approved vacation of 145,245 acres illegally occupied by influential people.
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah told the Forest Department to get the support of police and Rangers for the vacation of illegal occupation over an area of 145,245 acres for which he would issue necessary instructions.
As far as the question of 70,000 acres illegal allotment is concerned it has been cancelled and the Revenue department and Forest department would issue cancellation orders.
He was presiding over the cabinet meeting here at New Sindh Secretariat on Monday. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, all provincial ministers, advisors and special assistants.
To a question of the chair, Minister Forest Syed Nasir Shah said that 13,000 acres have been retrieved from the illegal occupants and action was being taken for retrieval of the remaining land.
At this, the chief minister directed him to start operation against illegal occupants of the forest land for which he would provide him police and Rangers force.
Compensation to Coalfield affected People: Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh told the cabinet that 757 families inhabiting in a one-kilometre radius of Gorano Dam and Dukkur Chho pond should be considered as affected people apart from those 471 who have been displaced due to development/excavation of Thar Coalfield Block-II.
The chief minister said that these affected people have every right to be compensated. The cabinet approved Rs900 million as a donation for Thar Foundation which would be giving Rs100,000 annually to each and every affected family for the next 30 years. The Thar Foundation would invest the amount and start paying compensation to the affected people of Gorano and Dukkur Chho.
The cabinet also approved the compensation of Rs100,000 to 471 affected families of Thar Block-II. This compensation would be paid by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company because they were leaseholders. These 471 families are also being provided one house in two different villages, Senhri Dars and Tharyo Halepoto.
Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh also presented an item in the cabinet for extension in completion period for Automatic Meters Reading (AMR) system by Heco and Sepco.
The cabinet was told that the Sindh government under an agreement paid Rs27.398 billion to Discos (Hesco Rs10.228 billion and Sepco Rs17.170 billion) to clear all outstanding electricity dues for the period from July 2010-2016.
In addition, monthly agreed amount was also agreed to be paid to Hesco Rs555.82 million and Rs513.73 million to Sepco till installation of AMR meters. The meeting was also told that Rs26.738 billion has been paid to Discos, Hesco Rs12.843 billion and Sepco 13.895 billion for the period from August 2016 to August 2018.
Minister Energy also told the meeting that it was also agreed that Discos would install AMR system and the provincial government would bear 50 per cent of the total cost.
For the purpose, the Sindh government has already paid Rs170.382 million to Hesco and Rs211.002 million to Sepco but the installation of AMR meters has not been made so far. Therefore, monthly electricity bills of both the Discos could be stopped.
On the intervention of the chief minister the cabinet approved an extension of time to Discos to install meters by May 2019 and also released monthly payments of Rs513.73 million to Hesco and Rs555.82 million to Sepco till transferring of billing to AMR system.
Sugarcane Price: Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu told the cabinet that the growers were demanding to increase the purchase price of sugarcane as it was stagnant from the last three years at Rs182 per 40 kg. He added that the government of Punjab has already fixed sugarcane price at Rs180, therefore he recommended that the price should not be lower than Rs182 per maund.
