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Pakistan: Hunger Strike for Rights
The Sindh government is contemplating the establishment of development authorities for all big cities including Sukkur and Nawabshah, Sindh Local Government (LG) Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said.
Meanwhile Sindh Revenue Minister Saifullah Dharejo said that the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) cannot take action against Goths without prior permission from the Sindh Board of Revenue (BOR) because the latter owns the land.
Replying to questions during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday, Durrani said that the provincial government was also considering the revival of the development authorities of Larkana, Sehwan etc. He said that the Act concerned for the Lyari, Larkana, Malir and Sehwan development authorities had been revived since January 2007 while the matter of the revival of the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) was under process.
To a question by opposition MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi, the minister said that sites for constructing 100,000 housing units worth Rs2 billion for the poor had been proposed in Karachi, Nawabshah, Larkana, Khairpur, and other areas.
Housing Minister Aga Taimur said that the project had started a month ago, after funds became available. Initially, 500 housing units were being constructed in districts Badin and Thatta with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He said each house would cost Rs341,000 but the government would provide it to the poor for free. Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said that these would be flats which are being constructed with technical assistance from Malaysia and other countries.
Taimur said NGOs were conducting a survey and will provide a list of the needy. Durrani said no shopping plaza was being constructed on land earmarked for the poor in Karachi. Some shops for providing basic needs would, however, be necessary there.
To a question by Nadeem Bhutto about setting up a five-star hotel near the Expo Centre by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), the LG minister said that the CDGK was trying to utilise the land to facilitate a large number of delegates visiting from abroad and upcountry to participate in large a number of exhibitions being held at the Expo Centre. "They are simply trying to utilise the land for a better purpose," he said.
Arif Jatoi said the land was worth Rs8 billion. Munawar Abbasi opined that permission from the provincial government was needed for allowing "change of land use" and wondered whether the CDGK had sought this permission.
To a question from Nadeem Bhutto about the perceived deprivation of rural areas in Karachi, Durrani said according to Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO)-2001, there was no distinction between urban and rural in the city and funds were being distributed between different towns by the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC), and not the CDGK. He said that the formula for the distribution of funds was population (50 percent), human development index (40 percent), area (five percent) and performance (five percent).
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that they had devised this multiple criteria for the distribution of funds to strengthen the case of Sindh for the distribution of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, which was mainly based on population. "We adopted multiple criteria so the federal government cannot blame us and say that we are not practicing what we are demanding," he said.
Arif Jatoi referred to a written statement of the minister and said that the population of Karachi had been described as 18 million, which according to him, would lead to distortions in distribution of funds in the province because population was a criteria.
Ahmed said it was just projection and has nothing to do with the distribution of funds by the PFC because funds were being allocated according to the old census. To a question about perceived "confusion" for appointing the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director, the LG minister said that the chief minister was the competent authority to appoint him.
Opposition MPA Arif Jatoi and treasury legislator Nadeem Bhutto asked "several supplementary questions," however, and the minister politely responded to them by saying that these were "excellent" questions and asked them to meet him personally for their satisfaction or furnish a new question.
BoR permission imperative for action against Goths Responding to a point of order raised by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) legislator Nadeem Bhutto about eviction notices issued by the CDGK against three "old" Goths (villages) in the city, Sindh Revenue Minister Saifullah Dharejo said that it was true that the CDGK had issued a notice to the residents of Goths. He said there were five or six Goths in the city which were very old and the government was trying to regularise them.
He said that the CDGK had been instructed to seek permission from the revenue board prior to launching any action against these Goths. Dharejo said that the CDGK would not launch any drive against Goths, and all purported action had been forestalled. Sindh Local Government (LG) Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said that he had spoken with the city Nazim about this issue.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) parliamentary leader, Syed Sardar Ahmed, said that this problem had not been brought to his notice. He said that the coalition parties had already decided to regularize Goths, even "unrecorded" ones. The government will check whether the land in question belongs to the revenue board, he said, adding that they would also ask the CDGK to stop possible action against Goths.
Earlier, Nadeem Bhutto said the CDGK had issued notices to three Goths, Mawach Goth in Moachko, Madho Goth near Safari Park and a third Goth on the Super Highway. He said Mawach Goth had been established even earlier than the 1980s, and if the CDGK tried to forcibly evict the residents, it might cause a law and order problem.
Some people sitting in the gallery of the assembly chanted slogans "Long Live Bhutto". The speaker intervened and asked them to keep quiet as their representatives were airing their grievances. He warned them that he would have to order them to leave the place if they continued shouting.
Opposition legislator Masroor Jatoi said that people belonging to different communities were residing in these Goth, and the issue is an important one which warrants a resolution.
Minister for Works Manzoor Wasan said it was the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) government which had forcibly evicted 4,000 people living in Khairpur for the past 50 to 100 years. He said they would not expel the people, but will provide them alternative housing, the details of which will be provided on Tuesday (today).
Treasury legislator Shama Mithani raised the issue of an increase in prices of life-saving drugs and urged setting up a committee comprising legislators to look into the manifold increases in drug prices.
The speaker announced that the Sindh governor has approved the Sindh Public Property (Removal of encroachments) (Amendment) Bill 2008, and the Sindh Wildlife Protection (amendment) Bill, 2008.
Marvi Rashidi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) said on point of order that over 40 people were burnt to death and several wounded when fire engulfed huts in North Karachi recently. She claimed that the survivors said that around six to seven people on motorcycles had threatened the dwellers to vacate the plot by the 10th of Muharram or "face consequences." She claimed that the firemen had also said that whenever they tried to put water on it, the fire increased, which indicated that chemicals had been used to start the blaze. She demanded an inquiry into the incident to ascertain the exact reasons behind this tragedy. She said the victims were residing on a plot owned by two sisters. The ownership of the plot was disputed for the past 10 to 15 years, Rashidi said, adding that the local Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Sohail Ansari had also publicly said that there was sabotage behind the fire incident.
Minister for Katchi Abadis Rafiq Engineer said it was a regrettable incident. Around 20 families had been living on the plot spread over 240 square yards, and fire tenders had reached the site within half an hour. Subsequently, the survivors were helped by workers of the MQM and the PPP at a government school, he said. The Sindh government had also announced compensation and an inquiry into the incident led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) West Abdul Majeed Dasti. Details of the investigation are awaited. The minister said that the deceased belonged to Rahim Yar Khan and Shikarpur.
Land, agriculture tax waived
The Sindh government had decided to waive the land tax and irrigation tax in view of the destruction of crops, especially paddy, caused by recent rains, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has said.
In reply to a point of order raised by treasury legislator Munawar Abbasi at the Sindh Assembly on Monday, Shah said that the payment of loans by the agricultural bank against farmers had also been postponed. He said that the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) would purchase paddy from farmers on official rates and promised that if Passco did not do so, the provincial government would buy paddy. Good quality paddy would be purchased by Passco while "second quality" paddy would be purchased by the Sindh government, Shah promised.
He termed it "reasonable relief" for the farmers under the circumstances. Shah said that destruction of crops by rains was a serious issue. He said IRRI-6 rice was export quality, which was produced in Sindh in sufficient quantity. He recalled that Passco had said that they would purchase 500,000 tonnes. During a recent visit to Sindh, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had promised that Passco would purchase 1,000,000 tonnes of IRRI-6 rice. For this purpose, the number of Passco centres was increased from 70 to 150 but heavy rains caused massive destruction to the paddy crops.
Earlier, Abbasi said that the government had fixed the price of paddy at Rs700 per 40kg (per maund) but it was being sold in the market at Rs250 to Rs400 per maund, depending on the quality of crop. He said around 50 per cent paddy crop had been destroyed while wheat also sustained heavy losses, and feared that target of wheat might not be fulfilled this year.
Abbasi said that Passco had promised to purchase paddy which was affected up to four per cent only, and suggested that the Sindh government approach the Federal government to purchase paddy at official rate because the destruction of crops was a "national calamity".
Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro observed that it was a serious problem of the farmers. He said the government had fixed the support price, which was not being given to the farmers.
S/H: Sindh govt requests PN, MSA to help locate 11 fishermen
The Sindh government has requested the Pakistan Navy (PN) and Maritime Security Agency (MSA) to locate 11 fishermen from Baldia Town who had gone for fishing into the deep sea and have not returned so far, Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Bhurgari said.
Responding to a point of order raised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Shoaib Bukhari during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday, the minister said he was aware of the anxiety of the families of the missing fishermen. He said he had requested the PN to use a helicopter to search for the fishermen, and had also approached the federal government in this regard.
Bukhari said on a point of order that the 11 fishermen, hailing from Baldia Town Union Council (UC)-6 had gone fishing into the deep sea and were supposed to return home on January 22. They have not come back yet, triggering anxiety among the families. He asked the provincial government to approach the federal government to seek help from the PN and the MSA.
Humera Alwani raised the point of order about acid-throwing against midwife Maria Shah from Shikarpur. She said owing to the lack of a burns care facility in Shikarpur, Shah was brought to Karachi after eight- to nine-hour-long journey. She regretted that there was no burns care facility in 23 districts of Sindh. She said that the burns centre at the Civil Hospital Karachi was being run with the help of philanthropists, and urged the provincial government to provide burns care facilities in all district hospitals.
Opposition leader Jam Madad said disabled people had staged a hunger strike outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) as the government had stopped supporting them through Baitul Mal. He urged the government to extend support to them under the Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme. He also condemned the armed attack on MPA Masroor Jatoi in interior Sindh recently.
Another legislator said that the ban on pillion riding had adversely affected around three to four million people in the city. He urged the government not to extend the ban beyond February 10.
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Country: Pakistan
Website: http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=160556
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When: 13/6/2009
