CDGL flouts CM’s orders on katchi abadies

LAHORE – The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is not implementing the orders of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif by pending ownership rights to the residents of 65 katchi abadies (slum localities) over the last three years, Pakistan Today has learnt.
It is a pre-planned move to bring a bad name to the Khadam-e-Aala to inflict irreparable damage on his public welfare projects and let him down politically, a senior official in the Lahore DCO office told Pakistan Today. “The CDGL’s deliberate inactions on various issues including high-rising building, sanitation, clean drinking water, transport, land-grabbing and the anti-encroachment drive have badly affected the CM’s reputation,” he said. “This does not end here as the CDGL has now flouted the orders of Shahbaz to award ownership rights to poor dwellers,” the official said.
Shahbaz snubbed CDGL top officials due to their dilly-dally attitude on the katchi abadi issue and ordered them to complete the procedure to award ownership rights to 65 katchi abadies as soon as possible. The Punjab Special Department Directorate of Katchi Abadies and Urban Improvement working under the local government and community development department also sought the revenue record from the CDGL after submitting a list of 65 katchi abadies in order to give them ownership rights. Recently, the Department of Katchi Abadies issued a letter DG (KA & UI) 10-4 / 2007-135 to Lahore DCO Ahad Cheema mentioning Reminder-10 and requesting the DCO to finalise the issue on priority. The letter is also accompanied by a complete list of 65 katchi abadies where the CDGL, LDA and revenue department completed their survey and compiled the lists of complete residential units in the slum areas.
According to list, katchi abadies include the area of Ferozian Wala Johar Town spreading over 5 kanals and 17 marlas that house around 42 residential units. Gilani Mohala on 5 kanals and 18 marlas housing 63 residential units, Aahatah Namak Wala on 15 kanals and 13 marlas with 49 housing units, Chandi Aahata on 2 kanals and one marla with 47 residential units, Cooper Road on 15 kanals and 11 marlas with 75 residential units, Ittehad Colony Roti Plant on 14 kanals and 12 marlas with 154 residential units, Jewan Hana Davisabad on 14 kanals and 8 marlas on 101 residential units, Keer Kalan Green Town on 12 kanals and 7 marlas with 100 residential units, Link Wahdat Road on 25 kanals with 135 residential units, Rasool Pura Niaz Baig on 28 kanals and 14 marlas with 165 residential units, Muhammad Pura on 17 kanals and 8 marlas with 113 residential units, Mushtaq Colony Niaz Baig on 20 kanals and 17 marlas with 116 residential units, Tipu Block Garden Town on 5 kanals and 3 marlas with 44 residential units, Karamat Colony Thokar Niaz Baig on 66 kanals and 11 marlas with 616 residential units.
Other katchi abadies include Takkiya Pir Yaqoob Shah, Tibba Baba Fareed, Harbanspura Extension, Qalandar Pura Extension, Rehmanpura Rani Pind, Altaf Colony, Ibrahim Colony, Chungi Gujjarpura, Ismail Town, Ittehad Town, Fareed Garden, Habib Block, Hajveri Town, and Chaudhry Colony. An official said that the department had already completed a survey, which was given the go ahead after the Punjab Assembly (PA) passed the Punjab Katchi Abadies (Amendment) Bill 2009. “Under the Katchi Abadies Bill, amendments had been made in sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 of Act VIII of 1992. Under the amendment in Section 5, the Punjab government formed an implementation committee for a district in which a katchi abadi was located. Under Section 6, “March 23, 1985” has been replaced with “December 31, 2006,” he added.
“The main emphasis in the survey was to assess the changes in the layout of the settlements-katchi abadis, construction of houses, addition of rooms, and changes made in the covered area of the houses, water schemes, sewerage and drainage plans, road infrastructures and utility services. The survey teams filed 3 types of performa issued jointly by the ministry of local government and rural development. Performa A involved geographical demarcation of katchi abadies, location, moza and total land. It also featured the number of registered unites (houses), number of residents, date of regularisation, date of transfer to LDA or TMA and number of people who had been awarded or not the ownership rights of the land in possession. Performa B includes available infrastructure in katchi abadies such as provisions of waterlines, sewerage and drainage pipes, roads, streets, sanitation, sui gas, electricity and street lights.
It also shows details of government dispensaries and private dispensaries, maternity centers, vocational schools run by NGOs and number of primary, middle and high schools. Performa C wants details of the general information regarding the number of technical and non-technical people living in katchi abadies and details of business and trade activities and the ratio of encroachments.