KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday presided over a cabinet meeting which declared Bundal and Buddo Islands as “protected forests” and directed the Sindh Wildlife Department to notify the decision.
According to CM Shah, the provincial cabinet approved a procurement target of 1.4 MT of wheat at a support price of Rs2,200 per 40 kg bag for which Rs70 billion were approved.
The food department was allowed to purchase bardana (sacks) to the extent of the assigned target at the ratio of 90% polypropylene bags and 10% jute bags if they are available in the market.
The CM directed the food department to set up their [procurement] centers in the last week of February so that procurement could be started right from March 1. “We are offering better support price; therefore, the growers must benefit from it,” he said.
Expressing solidarity with the shopkeepers of Cooperative Market and Victoria Centre who faced losses after their shops turned to ashes in a fire that erupted on November 14, the CM said that the cabinet has “approved an amount of Rs91,5230,000 to provide compensation for the shops to start their business”.
According to the CM, the cabinet said that Pakistan Steel Mills authorities were not competent to dispose of their “extra lands”, adding that the extra land surrendered would automatically stand reverted to the Sindh government.
He further said that the cabinet has directed the revenue department to issue instructions to the sub-registrar not to register any land disposed of/sold by Pakistan Steel Mills.
