11 June 2023
World Environment Day observed as Beat Plastic Pollution
The World Environment Day was observed this week across Pakistan by various academia and district administration under the theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Seminars and walks were organized to raise awareness about the hazards of plastic pollution, which poses significant threats to nature and human health. Speakers highlighted the widespread use of plastic for convenience and its disastrous impact on the world besides stressing the need for a systematic awareness campaign, legislation, and policy-making to control plastic pollution.
Scholars emphasised the need to find alternative means for employment in the plastic industry, which is connected to millions of people and also raise awareness about environmental issues and their solutions. They highlighted the threats posed by the increased use of plastic and deforestation to various species, including humans, birds, and insects. On the day, the significance of World Environment Day is also marked with motivating individuals and communities to take actions against climate change. Participants discussed the importance of small steps such as conserving water, switching off lights, and adopting eco-friendly behaviors to protect the environment consistently over time.
People’s Sky view Apartments
This week Sindh Minister of Local Government Nasir Shah and Director General Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Syed Muhammad Ali Shah laid the foundation stone of the residential scheme People’s Sky view Apartments for Karachi. In the event, the Minister LG Nasir Shah said after 28 long years any KDA project has been introduced in Karachi and added the Sindh government is trying to provide basic facilities including housing facilities to the middle class. The DG KDA assured the KDA will ensure the full utilization of all its resources in implementing the first multi-storied eco-friendly residential project in KDA Scheme 41 Sarjani Town Sector 7B on an emergency basis and to complete the project in a short period of time.
People’s Sky view Apartments is mainly a residential project where all necessary basic residential facilities including modern and high speed lifts, standby generator, boundary wall, mosque, park, play land, gymnasium will be made possible to provide. The housing scheme will consist of 25 floor towers with more than 1700 flats of 2 and 3 rooms double basement. The project would reportedly have more than two thousand vehicles to be parked, with car parking facilities for each flat and a spacious reception area constructed in each tower for guests.
E-registration of Properties in Punjab
After May 31 this year, the people in Punjab had been asked to adopt the E-registration system by June 1, 2023, as per the directions of the Punjab Board of Revenue (BoR) and Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA), the registration branches of the land revenue department in the districts across Punjab had been stopped from transactions of property registration deeds through the previous manual system. A day-long training workshop for the land revenue department officials and private trainers had also been organised at the divisional level across the province last month, prior to the launch of new system, under which people can also get their deeds registered to avoid exploitation at the hands on revenue officials and others.
However, operational hitches and a lack of orientation among the public with regard to the recently-launched E-registration system of property deeds in Punjab has reportedly resulted in an alarming decline in the number of property transactions at the registration branches in the district, causing revenue losses. As official sources say the transactions of registration deeds had been reduced by 50 to 75% in the last 2 days, causing a loss to the revenue generation for the provincial as well as federal governments. The applicants for such transactions say those involved in preparation of registration deeds, such as stamp vendors, Vaseeqa Navees (writers of the content), as well as the concerned staffers, have not been properly trained or are not getting used to the new method, and the local administrations across Gujranwala and Gujrat regions are under immense pressure to allow the manual property deeds, parallel to the E-registration, until June 30. It is learnt that the deputy commissioners in the region have informed the higher authorities of the situation and recommended resumption of the processing of registration deeds both manually and digitally until June 30. It is being expected that the DCs request may be allowed from in coming days to avoid the loss to national exchequer.
KWSB turns into Corporation
The Sindh Assembly has unanimously passed “The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Bill, 2023” this week to transform the KWSB into a corporation and a profit-making utility besides enabling it to meet the growing demand of potable water in the city. Now the new law also empowers the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to outsource supply of water and maintenance of sewerage or any ancillary services, including communications, complaint management and the recovery of user fees and charges from all consumers in low-income areas and Katchi Abadis. The introduction to the bill said that it is expedient to establish a corporation with a view to encompass all the essential components that would transform the utility into a profit-making organisation and to meet the growing demand of water.
According to the new bill, the city mayor would be the chairperson of the corporation while it would also have the chief executive officer (CEO) to be appointed by the board for a period of four years. The board would have seven ex-officio members i.e. commissioner or his nominee, local government secretary or his nominee, finance secretary or his nominee, planning and development secretary or his nominee, director general of Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority and the chief executive officer of the corporation. Besides, there will be six non-official members of the board having technical expertise in different fields. Moreover, the corporation would be empowered to operate on sound commercial practice to ensure that its revenues are sufficient enough to provide for all operations and maintenance costs including a reasonable return on investment.
