Rs 25 billion charges for commercialisation of land: opposition Leader takes up issue in Sindh Assembly

The opposition in Sindh Assembly on Monday appeared unsure whether the government has deposited Rs 25 billion in the provincial exchequer against the commercialization of 14000 of acres of land leased to the Bahria Town. However, the treasury denied leasing out any plot to the real estate developer, saying that the Bahria Town may have acquired the land from private parties.
"The Sindh Revenue Department's Land Utilisation has not leased out any plot to the Bahria Town," Sindh Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro told the house while responding to the Opposition Leader Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan's call attention notice. Unconvinced Izhar asked the treasury whether the government had deposited Rs 25 billion which it had to collect from Bahria Town against leasing 14000 acres of land by the Sindh Revenue Department's Land Utilisation. "Under the head of commercialisation of the land, the department has to collect Rs 25 billion from the Bahria Town. Whether the amount was deposited in the provincial exchequer," he questioned.
He claimed that some of the leased-out land was 'controversial' and sold to the Bahria Town for 'pennies'. The opposition leader also asked the government to confirm as to what would be the status of residence already booked in the Town. Khuhro said that the provincial department was no role in leasing of the land, adding that there may be a possibility the land had been acquired from private real estate dealers.
The opposition leader also asked the government when it would implement the law to empower Karachi Development Authority (KDA). "The government through legislation has restored the KDA but it is imperative to implement the law," he said, adding that a KMC official committed suicide for not getting pension. "The KMC is unable even to pay pensions to its [retired] employees," he added.
He alleged that the government had retrenched some 200 employees from the KDA, saying that people of Karachi paid Rs 80 billion as annual taxes but in return they were provided with nothing. He said that the Sindh government failed to take notice of the ex-employee's death despite a protest at the Civic Centre to invite the department's attention.
He asked the Chief Minister Sindh to intervene immediately to help ease the financial crunch that the KMC officials were facing. He warned the government if it did not step up, the opposition would stage a protest on the streets. He said that 70 recreational parks in the city were also facing China-cutting. In reply, Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro blamed the former governments for overstaffing the KMC and other such departments with employees, resulting in the current crisis. He said that the past government had also promoted employees from grade-7 to grade-20 illegally, saying that the department was acting in line with the Supreme Court's orders to send back the employees to their original organisations, who were currently working in KMC on deputations.
He denied that the government had retrenched 200 employees from the KMC, saying that "a TV channel aired false news on KDA attributing me, which I deny and condemn. It is concocted and false news." He said that now it was the Mayor's role to reappoint 200 employees to replace the existing ones deputed in KMC from other departments. He assured the house that the government would support those employees facing non-payment of salaries or pension.
The house was informed that the Sindh Governor had given assent to five bills adopted by the assembly including: The Sindh Mass Transit Authority Bill, 2014, The Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship Bill, 2015, The Sindh Sacked Employees' (Reinstatement) Bill, 2016, The Sindh Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and The Zulfiqarabad Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Three bills that were introduced in the house were referred to the assembly's concerned standing committees for further deliberations. They were: The Sindh Food Authority Bill, 2016, The Sindh Livestock Breeding Bill, 2016 and The Sindh Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill, 2016. However, approval of The Societies Registration (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2015 was postponed.
The postponement of The Society Registration (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2015 prompted the opposition leader to criticise the government, saying that "the religious schools registration was a main part of the national action plan but the bill consideration has been postponed for the third time". He said that if the government was not interested in legislation than how could it be serious in implementing national action plan.
However, Sindh Health Minister Sikandar Mandhro said that the government was serious in registering the religious schools and the bill was put off just to broaden the consultations with Ulema. He said that the government had faced some issues with the bill, which it had to resolve in consultation with the religious scholars before passing it from the house.
"The Sindh government intends to settle issue of sensitive nature with deliberations and consultation by taking all stakeholders into confidence," he said. The assembly will now meet again on Thursday morning.