The rapid increase in slum areas is one of the failures of the local government. When the states fail to settle urban poor, slums begin to form. Poor planning, poor governance and poor monitoring are the reasons of the rapid increase in slum areas.
Such poor people often find their shelter around Nullahs (drains), which is a clear indication that cities are built only for the rich and powerful and the poor always face humiliation. Such people are not heard in the courts of justice. According to the report of the Anti-Encroachment Department in Karachi, efforts are underway to demolish illegal structures around the 26 kilometre long Gujjar Nullah.
The demolition near Gujjar Nullah began in August 2020, when Karachi saw record-breaking rainfall which led to flooding and major damage to infrastructure across the city. One of the most affected communities was the Gujjar Nullah along with Korangi and Mehmoodabad, where most of the houses went under water.
This led to public anger and widespread criticism of both the provincial and federal governments. Prime Minister Imran Khan then tasked the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to team up with the Sindh government for the cleaning and remodelling of the nullahs .
According to a report, more than one lakh people are feared to be displaced around Gujjar Nullah alone. Although these numbers are not confirmed, but when we look at the site, we can only see houses that have now taken the form of earthquake-stricken places after the demolition.
Many of them have legally bought their land or houses with their lifetime earnings on lease. The government had even given them CNIC at the addresses of these houses. And they are being told that the government does not have data to support their claims that they ever existed. Yet they still received an electricity bill for one of the homes for the month during which it was demolished.
In addition, the story of Mehmoodabad Nulah is that according to KMC officials, initially about 200 shops and 56 houses will be demolished and a 20-foot drain and a 12-foot road will be built on both sides. The same is for Karachi’s third largest Orangi Nullah. About 2,000 houses are being demolished here too.
Today in Karachi, efforts are underway to build new housing schemes by demolishing houses of poor people. Now the question is: If all these colonies were really illegal, then why the Sindh government didn’t took any action for so many years? Where was the Sindh government at that time when the mafia was occupying the lands?
These poor people had bought these houses from the employees of Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). Weren’t these houses illegal when electricity and gas meters were installed?
It is heartbreaking to see the houses of such helpless people being demolished, and no action is being taken against the mafia operatives, who robbed these poor people by making false promises and earned billions of rupees. No one dares to lay hands on such tyrannical and oppressive rulers and their royal servants.
The Sindh government is snatching the rights of citizens of Karachi under the slogan of bread, clothing and housing.
The powerful mafias in collaboration with the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) have occupied most of the land and set up large plazas, shopping malls and restaurants.
My question is when will these people be caught? Why can’t the houses of these poor people be built by taking action against the land mafia and corrupt politicians? These powerful mafias and government servants distributed government lands according to their intentions. How can anyone do all this easily? There must be a big and well-organized conspiracy behind it.
I agree that if something is illegal, action must be taken against it, but what is the fault of the people who bought flats at Nasla Tower with their lifetime earnings? After all, why aren’t the builders of these illegal structures caught? How do the maps of such illegal buildings pass?
It is easy to understand who has benefited from the continuous encroachments over the years, I think the indifference of the Sindh government now is in front of everyone, so the federal government should take action in this regard.
Where we work on various loan schemes for the rich and the business community, loan programmes can also be started for such affected and poor people. In the end, I would like to ask the Sindh government and its ministers whether these poor and affected people will get an alternative place?
