KARACHI  -  The provincial caretaker cabi­net in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Tuesday made some decisions, includ­ing increasing the rate of Abiana and water charges, surveying un-surveyed land, rewriting the record of rights, and agreeing that the land of Pakistan Steel Mills can be used for industrial purposes by the federal govern­ment. The meeting was held at CM House and was attended by provincial cabinet ministers, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Chairman P&D Shakil Mang­nejo, Secretary Local Govt Man­zoor Shaikh, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi and others.

STEEL MILLS LAND

The caretaker cabinet has agreed that the land of Paki­stan Steel Mills can be used by the federal government for the establishment of an Export Pro­cessing Zone. However, there is a condition that the land must be used only for industrial purpos­es. It should be noted that dur­ing 1973-74, the Sindh govern­ment granted land to Pakistan Steel Mills. At present, Pakistan Steel Mills is using/controlling 13,344.34 acres of land.

ABIANA

Minister Irrigation Ishwar Lal told the cabinet that the Abiana Rate and Water Supply Rate needed to be gradually increased to meet the Mainte­nance & Repair (M&R) require­ment of irrigation infrastruc­ture. The Abiana/water charges recovery is much less than the M&R expenditure for reasons, including Abiana/water rates are very much on the lower side and were revised in the year 1999. The average annual Abi­ana collection is Rs528.45 mil­lion against the average annual M&R expenditure of Rs4,464.77 million. As per Sindh Irrigation Department study 2014, the av­erage annual M&R requirement is Rs11,353 million. 

Secretary Irrigation Niaz Abbasi giving a comparison of the Sindh and Punjab rates said that Sindh collected Abi­ana for wheat at Rs53.3 per acre in 1999, 2021 and 2024 while Punjab collected Rs150 in 2021 and Rs400 in 2024. Similarly, Sindh collected Rs181.87 in 1999, 2021 and 2024 for sugarcane while Pun­jab collected Rs250 in 2021 and Rs1,600 in 2024. 

The cabinet was told that the rate of Sindh for cotton re­mained at Rs93.09 per acre while Punjab has Rs250 in 2021 and Rs1,000 in 2024. The Abi­ana rate for rice in Sindh was Rs88.78 while the Punjab has a rate of Rs250 in 2021 and Rs2,000 in 2024. Similarly, the Abiana rates for vegetables, fod­der and orchards in Sindh are Rs142.14, Rs53.3 and Rs142.14, respectively, while the rate in Punjab is Rs1,200, Rs400 and Rs1,000 in 2024, respectively.

The cabinet approved an in­crease of the Abiana rate for crops and water charges for Municipal/Domestic, Indus­trial and Commercial uses by 100 percent. The current rate for Abiana is Rs53 (Riverine water) and Rs363 (Tube well and Lift Machine) per acre and it would be increased to Rs106/726 per acre. 

The water rates for Munici­pal/domestic rates are Rs0.50 per 1,000 gallons and the new rate would be Rs4 per 1,000 gallons which shows a 800 per­cent increase. The water rate for industrial/commercial is Rs1.0 per 1,000 gallons and its new rate would be Rs8.0 per 1,000 gallons. 

The cabinet observed that the municipal corporations, water board, WASA and even industrial areas of Karachi, Hy­derabad and Sukkur do not pay a single penny of water to the Irrigation Department. 

SURVEY OF UN-SURVEYED

The cabinet was told that survey work would be started in each district, for which 32 survey teams were being con­stituted comprising one Reve­nue Surveyor six Tapedars and an Inspector of Revenue and City Surveys.

Every survey team would be equipped with a DGPS and oth­er allied accessories including an operator. At the end of the day, the work done by the field survey teams would be sent in soft format to the lab. The lab is to be established at the di­rectorate, which would process data and prepare the land re­cords, and then the record so prepared will be sent to the DC concerned and Mukhtiarkar Es­tate for authentication.

CITY SURVEY

Due to the influx of the rural population to the urban areas, a sufficient number of towns require to be city surveyed for extension of existing sur­vey or new survey. City survey operations are proposed to be conducted at the divisional, district and taluka headquar­ters (153 in total) to prepare the necessary record of the rights of the residents and also to keep proper account of the government lands.

RE-WRITING/SPECIAL REVISION OF RECORD OF RIGHTS

The scope of re-writing in­cludes special revision of old Land Records through online portals VF-VIIA, VF-II and VF-I.

Minister Revenue Younus Dhaga told the cabinet that re-writing committees for record of rights would be constituted. The verification committees would also be formed. 

To carry out such multi-di­mensional tasks, it is proposed that the Directorate of Survey and Settlement, BOR start the operation/work within the available manpower; however, additional technical assistance from the market would be re­quired to meet the necessities.

The cabinet approved the plan and its budget of Rs2,922.19 million; however, the chief minister said that dur­ing the current financial year 2023-24, 10 percent of the to­tal amount that came to Rs290 million would be released while the remaining 90 percent amount of Rs2,632.19 million would be allocated in the next 

financial year budget (2024-25) accordingly.

RECRUITMENT OF SUB-REGISTRARS

The cabinet approved an amendment in the Sindh Regis­tration Rules, 1940, to pave the way for the recruitment of sub-registrars through the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC). 

Sub-Registrars are appointed 50 percent by promotion from senior clerks who have passed the departmental examination and 50 percent through initial appointment. The departmental examination is conducted inter­nally by the IG Registration.

SMBR Zahid Abbasi said that to meet the requirement of e-registration and improve effi­ciency, the department proposes amendments to the Sindh Regis­tration Rules, 1940, regarding the initial appointment, conduct of departmental examination, and training for sub-registrars.

According to the amend­ment the initial appointment and departmental examina­tions of the sub-registrar will be conducted/made through the Sindh Public Service Com­mission. Only departmental examination-qualified senior clerks will be eligible for pro­motions to sub-registrar. Sub-registrars appointed through initial appointment must pass the departmental examination for confirmation into service. The Training Management & Research Wing, SGA & CD will conduct academic training for six months, and departmental training will be conducted for the remaining six months.