ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping Monday directed Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to provide detail about its property and court cases in this regard in next meeting.
Chairing meeting Senator Muhammad Ali Saif said the committee should be provided a complete report about the trust-owned property to know if it was occupied and what efforts were being made for taking it back.
Briefing the committee, Chairman KPT said currently temporary allotment was banned in order to ensure transparency, however, he added around 86 cases were pending in courts, in this regard. He said the allotees had made construction over the land, which was a violation of temporary allotment agreement and approached courts.
It was decided to hold a meeting with Chief Secretary Sindh, representatives of allottees and chairman KPT to resolve relevant issues. The committee chairman said next meeting would be held in Karachi to have first hand information about the KPT development initiatives and its property.
KPT chairman said KPT was taking solid measures for the development of people in the surrounding localities, however, he added, port-related scheme were being given priority.
The committee members asked the KPT officials to write a letter to the civic agencies as to why facilities had been provided in violation of laws to those localities which had encroached upon its land.
The KPT chairman also said 50 employees were direct inducted as per recruitment through advertisement published in the press during the period from January 2013 to December 2105. He added the KPT had adopted assistance package for families of government who die in service and 49 were appointed under the package while five individuals whose were engaged on fixed stipend for a period of six months in 2013, adding two candidates who were inducted in compliance of court judgment.
Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Michel said job quota was strictly being followed and transparency had been ensured as far as employment was concerned. The KPT chairman said the KPT pursued around 133 construction or maintenance contracts, costing Rs 385.4 million during the last two years and added no violation was reported by the audit authorities.
He said properties and rest houses were under the control of KPT and the same had not been leased out, adding there were a total of 58 officers accommodation,1266 employees accommodation and 14 were rest houses.
The chairman also informed Pakistan deep water container project was nearing completion and it would be inaugurated in May this year. Besides, a member of the committee, meeting was attended by secretary ports and shipping ministry and officials of other relevant departments and ministries.
