‘All 165,000 applicants for Taiser Town scheme may not be included in draw for plots’

There is a possibility that all 165,000 applicants for acquiring plots in Taiser Town Scheme 45 will not be eligible to take part in the draw for choosing the plot winners as a committee is being constituted to propose afresh land prices in the forthcoming residential scheme of the Malir Development Authority (MDA).

The issue of balloting for selecting successful applicants for plots in the Taiser Town residential scheme was discussed during a meeting of the Governing Body of the MDA held here on Friday with Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani in the chair.

The session of was informed that 23 April, 2019, was the deadline for submitting applications by public for getting plots in Taiser Town Scheme 45. To date, 165,000 applications have been received against around 20,000 plots in the scheme.

During the meeting, permission was sought from the local government minister being chairman of the MDA for conducting balloting for selecting the plot owners in the Taiser Town scheme.

In response, the minister cited the relevant law under which a committee had to be constituted under the director general of the MDA to properly propose prices of land in the Taiser Town scheme. The committee so constituted will also comprise the relevant deputy commissioner of the district or his representative, a director of the MDA, and the special secretary of the Sindh Local Government Department.

The proposed committee will submit its report within two weeks as the balloting for plots will be done instantly if in case there is no difference in prices of the plots proposed by the committee and the cost of land declared by the MDA at the time of the public announcement of the scheme. In case the fresh prices of the land are found more than the earlier cost of the plots announced by the MDA, then the applicants will be informed about new plot prices through letters, which will be sent to their given residential addresses. If the applicants agree to the revised prices of the land then their names will be duly included in the balloting process.

The meeting also decided that over 10,000 defaulters of plots in different housing projects of the MDA would be given a final opportunity to clear their dues before taking the extreme action of cancelling their plots. These housing projects included Phase One of Taiser Town Scheme 45, new Malir Housing Project, MDA Scheme one, and Shah Lateef Scheme 25-A. Proper letters will be sent to the given residential addresses of the plot owners of these schemes asking them to clear their dues at the earliest as a proper campaign for the purpose will also be run in the print, electronic, and social media to spread awareness about clearance of dues by the land owners.

The meeting also decided the rates of development charges for the old and new residential schemes of Taiser Town while deciding that a final decision in the regard will be taken in the light of price proposals to be given by the new committee constituted for the purpose. The meeting also decided to launch new housing schemes and industrial zones on the MDA land under the public-private partnership scheme.