Housing scheme for MPAs planned

KARACHI, June 16: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday presided over a meeting at the CM’s House to discuss a housing scheme for members of the provincial assembly.

Issues relating to the allotment of land to every elected member of the house through their registered housing society came under discussion.

A six-member committee headed by provincial Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani was formed to examine, visit and propose sites/pieces of land for the scheme.

The other members of the committee are Revenue Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, MPA Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Senior Member of the Sindh Board of Revenue Ghulam Ali Pasha, member land uitlisation and EDO of revenue (Karachi). Besides, MPA Anwar Ali Mahar and Nazar Muhammad Baloch of the Board of Revenue will assist the committee.

Official sources were unable to give details about the proposed society’s location and the size of the required land.

The chief minister told the meeting that land/plots would be allotted to MPAs’ cooperative housing society to solve the housing problems of provincial assembly members. He directed revenue officers to assist the committee in finding suitable sites/land.

It is worth mentioning here that most assembly members do not only have palatial houses in their respective constituency, but they also have properties in various cities, besides the accommodation facility in the MPA Hostels in Karachi.

The meeting also discussed certain issues relating to the Mai Kolachi Cooperative Housing Society established by the slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto during her first stint as prime minister.

Mr Shah directed the officers concerned to resolve the issues and remove impediments as the Board of Revenue had allotted 79.2 acres for the society during the tenure of former chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah and the society had already made relevant payments. The chief minister directed all the departments and agencies concerned to address the issues on a priority basis. He warned that strict action would be taken against negligent and corrupt officials if they created hindrances.

He directed the EDO of revenue, Karachi, to fulfil and complete all formalities and ensure allotment/possession of the land to the society as early as possible.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Agha Siraj Durrani, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Ayaz Soomro, Jam Mehtab Dahar, Syed Ali Mardan Shah and Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi; MPAs Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Ghulam Qadir Chandi and Anwar Ali Mahar; senior BoR member Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha and other senior officials.