KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Housing Cell (SBBHC) to conduct balloting of plots developed for low-cost housing scheme in deh Lukman of Khairpur so that homeless people could be provided with a roof for their children.

He also directed the SBBHC to invite applications for launching a low-cost housing scheme in Karachi as well on 50-acre land in deh Nagan on a public-private partnership basis.

The chief minister issued this directive while presiding over a SBBHC meeting here on Friday at CM House.

The meeting was attended by special assistant to CM Nawab Wassan, Finance Secretary Najam Shaikh, SBBHC chairman Baqaullah Unnar and other officers.

Nawab Wassan briefing the chief minister said that the SBBHC had developed 1,647 plots of 100-square yards each over an area of 81 acres in deh Lukman of Khairpur and these plots would be given to poor families for free.

The applications were invited from poor families and around 4,500 applications were submitted in the deputy commissioner office while 2,083 applications were found fit under the criteria.

The CM directed the SBBHC to fix a date for balloting so that shelter-less people could construct their houses on their plots.

Low-cost housing scheme in Karachi

The chief minister was told that the SBBHC had 50-acre land in deh Nagan, Karachi, where a low-cost housing scheme could be established.

At this Mr Shah directed the SBBHC to invite applications for launching a low-cost housing scheme on a public-private partnership basis. “We can give half of the land to private party against which the private party would develop two or three apartment towers for government’s low-cost housing scheme for poor people,” he suggested.

Mr Shah also decided to launch a low-cost housing scheme of 600 units in three districts, including 400 units in Larkana, 100 in Jamshoro and 100 in Khairpur.

The cost of 600 houses would be Rs269 million at a rate of Rs448,328 for each house.

The chief minister directed the finance department to release Rs2.6m out of the SBBHC fund maintained by the Fund Management House.

Relief duties for rains

In the wake of weather advisory issued by the Meteorological department, the chief minister had assigned ministers/advisers for monitoring and supervising duties of relief activities to be carried out in different districts during monsoon rains expected to last from Aug 10 to 13.

The chief minister directed them to ensure their presence in the district where their duties were detailed.

The notification issued by the CM secretariat had detailed the assignments according to which Saeed Ghani is to work in Karachi East and Korangi area, Murtaza Baloch to work in Karachi West and Malir, Murtaza Wahab Karachi South, Shehla Raza Central, Shabbir Bijarani in Hyderabad, Qasim Naveed in Tando Mohammad Khan, Mukesh Chawla in Tando Allahyar, Hari Ram in Mirpurkhas, Aijaz Shah Shirazi in Sujawal, Ismail Rahu in Badin, Awais Shah in Thatta, Dr Azra Pechuho in Shaheed Benazirabad, Taimur Talpur in Umerkot, Syed Sardar Shah in Tharparkar, Faraz Dero in Sanghar and Makhdoom Mahboob Zaman in Matiari.

Prisoners granted remission

The chief minister granted 120-days special remission to convicted prisoners languishing in Sindh’s prisons in connection with Eidul Azha and Independence Day to create a sense of goodwill among the prisoners.

The remission has been granted to six different categories of prisoners who would get 60 days on the occasion of Eidul Azha and 60 days on the occasion of Independence Day.

The categories include all convicts except the condemned prisoners and also except those convicted of murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state activities, terrorist activities, (Zina, kidnapping/abduction, robbery, dacoity) and those undergoing sentences under the Foreigners Act, 1946, if they have undergone two thirds of their substantive sentence.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2019