Developing infrastructure: CM wants work on Zulfikarabad city to start soon
"Currently we have 55,000 acres for this mega city" says CM.
KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali shah has directed officials of the board of revenue to complete the demarcation of Zulfikarabad city - a newly conceived city in Thatta district.
The officials were also directed to purchase more private land within the project's premises and transfer the same to the project management as soon as possible. The CM was presiding over a meeting to review the progress of work on Zulfikarabad at CM House on Monday.
"Currently we have 55,000 acres for this mega city, which requires at least 100,000 acres. Please expedite the work to acquire more land," he directed the officials.
For their part, the revenue department's officials said that 55,000 acres of land had been set aside in taluka Shah Bandar to start work on the project. Some people had, however, approached the court against the allocation of the land, which had caused the work to be delayed.
CM Shah stressed that it was an important project that would pave the way to new avenues of progress and prosperity for the people. He asked the advocate-general to approach the court and get the stay order vacated.
Shah also directed the management to engage reputed architectural firms to design the basic infrastructure. Zulfikarabad project managing director Lt Gen (retd) Iftikhar Hussain Shah, in his brief to the meeting, said that the project was originally conceived on 1.3 million acres, but 0.9 million acres were under the sea. The remaining land was in fragments, which was why his administration was facing such difficulties. "We had initially planned to start work from Shah Bandar where at least 55,000 acres of land was available," the MD explained, adding that his management needed Rs1.7 billion for land acquisition, Rs1.3 billion for road construction and Rs1.4 billion for the construction of bridges this year alone.
He said that construction work on the expressway was halted because of the stay order issued by the court to another contractor whose services were terminated because of substandard work.
The finance adviser to CM, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Board of Revenue senior member Malik Israr, principal secretary to CM Alamdin Bullo, Finance secretary Sohail Rajput, revenue consultant Nazar Muhammad Leghari and other officers from the Board of Revenue (BoR) and Zulfikarabad project attended the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali shah has directed officials of the board of revenue to complete the demarcation of Zulfikarabad city - a newly conceived city in Thatta district.
The officials were also directed to purchase more private land within the project's premises and transfer the same to the project management as soon as possible. The CM was presiding over a meeting to review the progress of work on Zulfikarabad at CM House on Monday.
"Currently we have 55,000 acres for this mega city, which requires at least 100,000 acres. Please expedite the work to acquire more land," he directed the officials.
For their part, the revenue department's officials said that 55,000 acres of land had been set aside in taluka Shah Bandar to start work on the project. Some people had, however, approached the court against the allocation of the land, which had caused the work to be delayed.
CM Shah stressed that it was an important project that would pave the way to new avenues of progress and prosperity for the people. He asked the advocate-general to approach the court and get the stay order vacated.
Shah also directed the management to engage reputed architectural firms to design the basic infrastructure. Zulfikarabad project managing director Lt Gen (retd) Iftikhar Hussain Shah, in his brief to the meeting, said that the project was originally conceived on 1.3 million acres, but 0.9 million acres were under the sea. The remaining land was in fragments, which was why his administration was facing such difficulties. "We had initially planned to start work from Shah Bandar where at least 55,000 acres of land was available," the MD explained, adding that his management needed Rs1.7 billion for land acquisition, Rs1.3 billion for road construction and Rs1.4 billion for the construction of bridges this year alone.
He said that construction work on the expressway was halted because of the stay order issued by the court to another contractor whose services were terminated because of substandard work.
The finance adviser to CM, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Board of Revenue senior member Malik Israr, principal secretary to CM Alamdin Bullo, Finance secretary Sohail Rajput, revenue consultant Nazar Muhammad Leghari and other officers from the Board of Revenue (BoR) and Zulfikarabad project attended the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.