Shah was addressing the Sindh Assembly session on Wednesday following a resolution tabled by Bachal Shah. Committees have been formed at the district level to look into these encroachments and allot new land to people, he said.
“We have made a policy to allot 25 acres to deserving people but on the condition that they use five acres for a forest,” he said. “Each beneficiary is bound to start plantation on the land before getting leasing orders,” he added.
According to the chief minister, the lease on forest land is given in three categories: year-to-year lease, 10-year lease and ownership rights. Last year, the Sindh government won an international award for planting 2.5 million plants in one day, Shah added.
Referring to encroachment within Karachi, Shah said that the government has retrieved around 18,000 acres from land grabbers and the anti-encroachment force will start working again very soon. The resolution was put before the house and was passed unanimously.
Breaking Punjab’s hegemony
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto tabled a resolution recommending the Sindh government approach the federal government to take a policy decision to rotate the chairmanship of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) among all four provinces.
Punjab has always been leading the authority due to which all provinces are ignored in the decision-making process, Bhutto said. “It [the Punjab] provides less and collects a large revenue from Sindh,” he added.
MPA Dr. Ahmed Ali Shah supported this view and complained that Wapda shuts down power supplies to the entire village even if only one person owes the bill. Wapda issued incorrect bills to flood-affected areas, where there are no homes left, he added.
Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro also appreciated the resolution and called Wapda a “white elephant” due to its discriminatory attitude towards Sindh. Even if the Wapda board of directors have representatives from Sindh, the main “issue is that of chairmanship”. Later, the resolution was unanimously adopted.
Meanwhile, another resolution was passed in which most legislators criticised the Punjab for dominating most of the natural resources. The House demanded Sindh government approach the federal government to implement Article 158 of the constitution
A resolution was also passed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Heer Soho, demanding the Sindh government approach the federal government to ensure the implementation on Article 158 of the constitution under which the province where natural gas is found will have precedence in the total share compared to other provinces.
Soho said that Punjab is planning to build three thermal projects to generate 95 megawatts of electricity and this will adversely affect the gas requirements of Sindh. “Sindh contributes 71.5 per cent of the total gas production in the country yet its share is not more than 34 per cent,” she pointed out. These new projects will add pressure on Sindh’s resources “because the Punjab does not produce enough of its own”.
Minister for Finance Murad Ali Shah disagreed with the resolution and said that it is wrong to stop any government from pursuing a project. “We should demand our rights under Article 158 without naming any province,” he said. The resolution was amended and adopted unanimously by the House.
Restoration of local trains and their stops
The provincial government should also request the federal government to restore local train services and establish stops for express trains at inter-city stations to make commuting easier. This recommendation was made in a unanimous decision made in light of the resolution moved by the newly elected MQM MPA Saifuddin Khalid.
Reduction of fees
The assembly also recommended the provincial government return fees for schools and universities to their original level. The resolution was tabled by PPP’s Ghulam Mujadid Isran, who said that several universities and education boards have doubled fee for bachelors and masters examinations after the floods. The house was divided over the resolution with some legislators supporting immediate relief for flood survivors while others said that the issue must be forwarded to the standing committee on education. The speaker put the resolution for voting and it was passed unanimously.
Sindh Bank
Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that Sindh Bank will operate in the entire province and will soon be converted into a commercial bank. “We have an NOC from the State Bank of Pakistan and are waiting for registration with the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan,” he said. The initial capital of the bank has been estimated at around Rs10 billion.
There are seven members on the board of directors and the Sindh chief secretary will be the chairman, he said. Bilal Shaikh has been appointed the CEO and other employees will be recruited on merit. Initially, three to four branches will be opened in Karachi, Hyderabad and Naudero.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2010.
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