HYDERABAD, April 30 The revenue officers are advised to complete survey of 206 old villages in Qasimabad, Latifabad and Hyderabad city talukas by May 7 for regularisation under Goth Abad Scheme failing which action would be taken against them.

Sindh Minister for Fisheries Zahid Ali Bhurgari issued these directives during a meeting held at the DCO office on Thursday to review regularisation proceedings for awarding proprietary rights to the inhabitants.

The minister is also president of the PPP Hyderabad district chapter. He warned the officials to refrain from creating hurdles in implementation of the welfare-oriented programmes of the PPP government or else they would be removed from the service. He raised the question as to why formalities of old villages were not yet complete though established since centuries.

He directed the DCO to form taluka-wise committees headed by DDO revenue concerned with representatives from each stakeholder as member and get the survey work completed by May 7.

He said that he would hold next meeting on May 14 to review performances asking all to complete their work by that time without missing any village.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of work assigned to complete regularisation formalities and held responsible revenue officers.

He said the PPP government wants to provide relief to villagers and inhabitants of katchi abadis for remaining deprived of basic facilities, including proprietary rights.

A villager criticised the performance of revenue officers for not providing basic facilities while encouraging builder mafia to illegally grab village land. He demanded inclusion of all villages in the Hyderabad Development Package.

Latifabad, UC Nazim, Ms Sajida produced documents in proof of submitting application for regularisation of some villages of her constituency in May 2008.

Residents of Khairo village vacated their land for railway line but were now being accused of encroachment which was a sheer injustice, she said.

Another resident criticised the revenue officers for not awarding proprietary rights to residents of many villages in UC 12-17 as these were inhibited centuries back.

President PPP taluka Qasimabad, Iqbal Soomro demanded increase in workforce for survey work and expressed surprise at not giving proprietary rights to inhabitants of Kolhi village though regularised by former prime minister Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

A resident of Chandio village Qasimabad claimed that each village of Qasimabad had been surveyed more than once under instructions of different governments and revenue officers were in possession of survey reports but were not issuing NOC for regularising the centuries-old village.

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah had already issued instructions for regularisation of old villages and katchi abadis, said Zahid Ali Bhurgari. He took notice that several villages in Karachi were regularised but not in Hyderabad.

He asked the revenue officials to carry out their responsibility as soon as possible.

Senior Vice President PPP district Hyderabad Amanullah Siyal, leaders Pasha Qazi, Syed Fayaz Shah, Iqbal Soomro, DCO Hyderabad Aftab Ahmed Khatri, all DDOs revenue and mukhtiarkars of the district and representatives from different villages attended the meeting.