With zero to disastrous planning, the ongoing projects and those proposed are likely to worsen the situation
KARACHI: In a desperate attempt to revamp the metropolis of Karachi, the authorities in Sindh have launched and inaugurated quite a few development projects in the last few months. It is no coincidence that the timing chosen for the initiation of these projects target the upcoming general elections. But with zero to disastrous planning, the ongoing projects and those proposed are likely to worsen the situation.
Firstly, it is important to realise that despite the development of flyovers and underpasses during the time of Karachi’s former mayor Mustafa Kamal, the traffic situation of the city only became more unmanageable and chaotic. Had the department of urban town planning been led by experts and planning had been given proper time and thought, the situation would have been far better.
Secondly, the most important issue is of house planning. As government schemes fail to provide cheap and well-planned housing to the masses, private housing schemes spread out on the outskirts of the city are often developed on illegally acquired land, often without the approval of the relevant departments due to which they are either left incomplete once the authorities initiate legal action, creating misery for allottees.
Conclusively, it goes without saying that revamping or restructuring of a megapolis like Karachi can never be delivered through launch of projects that lack planning done by relevant experts.
Zarmina Shahid
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2018.
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