KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhter has said that the committees have been formed and all the paperwork has been completed for the rehabilitation and relocation of registered tenants of KMC markets only whose shops were razed in the anti-encroachment drive.
“All registered KMC tenants will be provided alternate shops at the earliest through balloting which will be held at Commissioner’s Office very soon so that they could get back to their routine life while no such arrangement will be made for the encroachers who should not expect any relief from us”, he added while speaking at a meeting during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Thursday.
Chairman Businessmen Group & Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, Vice Chairman BMG Zubair Motiwala, President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda, Senior Vice President Khurram Shahzad, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, Former President AQ Khalil and Shamim Ahmed Firpo, Chairman KCCI Special Committee for Small Traders Majeed Memon, Managing Committee Members and a large number of affectees attended the meeting.
Mayor Karachi further said that all associations of markets have been consulted from time to time since commencement of anti-encroachment drive and they have expressed satisfaction over the strategy devised by KMC for rehabilitation of the affectees. Around 240 shops were available at the Parking Plaza in Saddar while a land belonging to Board of Revenue has also been identified where KMC tenants will be relocated, he said, adding that KMC was progressing well and Sindh government is also on board in the entire rehabilitation process but it is going to take some time.
He said that KMC was receiving limited amount of funds which are mostly utilized on payment of salaries and pensions whereas the remaining meager amount of funds were being used for some development work and they do not even have funds to clear the debris of the anti-encroachment drive.