KARACHI - The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has got vacated the land allocated for the S-III sewerage project in Mauripur, from the land mafia.
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It said that a case has been got registered against the ‘Qabza group’ at the Anti-Encroachment Cell.
The statement said that Sindh governor had taken notice of complaints regarding encroachment on land allocated for the sewerage treatment plant in Mauripur and had directed the Managing Director KWSB and Inspector General Police Sindh for getting cleared this government land.
It said that on Saturday the personnel of KWSB led by its Managing Director, Misbahuddin Farid, alongwith 200 policemen, of anti-encroachment staff reached the site along with heavy machinery. Upon this, the ‘Qabza mafia’ fled from the scene. On the instruction of IGP, a temporary police post has been set up and police personnel deployed there. The Managing Director KWSB has instructed that a permanent police post be constructed there, the statement added.
FUND SET UP FOR PROMOTION OF AGRI SECTOR: Sindh Investment Board Chairman Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said that Sindh Enterprise Development Fund has been set up by the government to provide opportunities for value addition in the agriculture sector for multiple economic benefits on growth, intermediary services and productivity.
He said this while presiding over a board meeting of Sindh Enterprise Development Fund.
The Board approved balancing, modernisation and replacement (BMR) scheme for the rice cluster in Sindh which comprises about 800 rice husking units which are using obsolete technology as compared to other rice producing countries like Japan, India, Thailand, China and Vietnam. The scheme is being developed in collaboration with State Bank of Pakistan and Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) envisaging financial outlay of Rs1 billion which will be partially guaranteed (30 percent) by the Sindh government through SEDF. It will also subsidize re-finance rate of 6.25 percent whereas the applicant is expected to pay bank spread which is 3 percent to 4.
The scheme would enable 100 rice husking units in the first phase to upgrade them to latest technology and machinery, bringing down their operational loses from 40 percent to less than 20 percent, resulting into greater productivity, exportable surplus and enhanced incomes for the rice millers.
The SEDF board examined the scheme on technical grounds and there was general consensus that such BMR support will add to strengthening of SMEs, rice sector and will bring in wider economic gains. There can be prospects of big increase in employment, greater productivity and most significantly it will straightway improve quantities for exportable surplus generating greater foreign exchange for the province. The board also approved interest rate subsidy for three other rice husking and reprocessing units located in the rice growing areas of the province.
The board was also briefed on the performance of the outreach teams that were constituted for assisting farmers and entrepreneurs in fulfilling requirements for matching grant being offered by the USAID in the horticulture and livestock clusters.
Naheed Shah Durrani, Secretary Investment, Agha Jan Akhtar, Secretary Agriculture, Syed Abid Ali Shah, Secretary Fisheries & Livestock, Mehboob ul Haq, CEO SEDF, Shahida Qaiser TDAP, Syed Mahmood Nawaz Shah and Syed Nadeem Qamar also attended the meeting.
