This bill had been introduced earlier in the summer of 2009 but because of the local bodies elections fallout between the MQM and the PPP, it was withdrawn. This ‘sell-out’ bill is Serial No. 8 on the agenda of the Sindh Assembly for Monday (today).
Calling it a ‘hypocritical’ bill, Shehri says the bill pretends to ‘protect’ and ‘prohibit’ amenity plots but in reality, it does exactly the opposite. It allows the provincial assembly, under Section 4 of the bill, to arbitrarily convert an amenity plot which can then be used for any other purpose. “Whenever the provincial assembly passes a resolution to the effect that an amenity plot may be converted to or utilized for any other purpose, Government shall, after receiving the resolution passed by the assembly, process the matter in the prescribed matter” reads clause 4 of the proposed bill.
It negates existing protective laws (including the Karachi Building & Town Planning Regulations 2002, KDA Order 1957, Sind Town Planning Act 1915, etc) and would destroy the sanctity of parks, playgrounds, schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries, community centres, places of worship, graveyards, sewage treatment plants, transport depots, municipal utility plots and other spaces meant for public purposes. These conversions were challenged last year in the Supreme Court by former City Nazim Naimatullah Khan. Earlier this month, the court directed that all illegal buildings and encroachments on the amenity spaces of Karachi be removed within a month. According to Shehri, this bill would ignore these court orders. Press release
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2011.
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