Sindh Minister for Local Government and Chairman of the Business Facilitation and Coordination Committee, Saeed Ghani, announced a series of measures aimed at streamlining services for the public and business community, in line with the directives of Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah.
Chairing the second meeting of the Business Facilitation and Coordination Committee on Wednesday, Saeed Ghani emphasized that the committee was formed to enhance facilitation for citizens and the business sector.
He specifically directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to develop pre-approved building designs for residential plots ranging from 60 to 240 square yards.
These designs, customized to plot sizes, should be readily available so individuals can choose from them and obtain building approvals swiftly under a one-window system.
Addressing concerns raised by ABAD (Association of Builders and Developers) over SBCA’s regulations permitting the commercial use of residential properties, Ghani said that the law was introduced to regularize thousands of long-standing commercial operations in residential buildings.
However, he assured that amendments could be made, keeping ABAD’s concerns in view.
The meeting began with a prayer for the late PPP senior leader Senator Taj Haider.
Participants included Advisor to CM Sindh on Katchi Abadis Syed Najmi Alam, Additional Chief Secretary Sindh Khalid Haider Shah, Special Secretary for Housing & Town Planning Bakhsh Ali Mehr, DG SBCA Ishaq Khowaja, DG KDA Altaf Gohar Memon, DG LDA Safdar Bughio, DG MDA Saeed Jumani, DG Sindh Master Plan Haji Ahmed, Municipal Commissioner KMC Afzal Zaidi, ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakhshi, and representatives from the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, including Idrees Memon.
Saeed Ghani instructed all development authorities, including SBCA, KDA, LDA, MDA, Hyderabad and Sehwan Development Authorities, Sindh Master Plan, and Katchi Abadi departments, to submit digitalization progress reports within a week.
Sindh Minister for Local Government and Chairman of the Business Facilitation and Coordination Committee, Saeed Ghani further ordered that DGs of the Water and Sewerage Corporation and the two development authorities (Hyderabad and Sehwan) be invited to the next meeting.
He directed that reports on the past five years of development-related revenue collections and corresponding expenditures by each authority also be submitted within a week.
Highlighting concerns regarding land allotment and encroachments, Ghani instructed all authorities to submit detailed reports on possession issues faced by plot owners and areas affected by encroachments.
Addressing grievances of the business community, Ghani said that where departments have collected development fees from (Association of Builders and Developers) ABAD and other stakeholders, there is a need to ensure those funds are used transparently and appropriately.
He also reiterated that the Sindh government is actively working on legislation to address issues related to informal settlements (Katchi Abadis).
