The Supreme Court-mandated Judicial Commission on Water and Sanitation found out on Oct 1 that the provincial government had failed to comply with the orders of the commission and of the SC, regarding the release of notification for the city’s master plan that were given in March this year. The notification was to be sent in light of the 2007 judgment of the SC.
A master plan acts as a blueprint that guides the future growth and development of a city. For a mega city like Karachi a lack of planning results in taking adhoc measures — as can be seen in the number of constructions that have been undertaken across the city — often those that benefit certain parties. And the committee seems no less aware of this, as it called out the provincial government for having nefarious interests in the lack of a master plan for the city.
While a provincial law officer assured that a notification would be issued without any further delays, the committee stated that “it seems that the provincial government departments do not want to have any master plan because that would deprive them of their everyday bribes and kickbacks.”
The committee also noted that factories were disposing around 12,000 tonnes of toxic waste into the sea on a daily basis. It is not that the provincial government is not aware of the water contamination and shortage that already persists in the city, but it seems very much unperturbed by it. But if the fundamental issues of Karachi are to be effectively tackled, the provincial government needs to seriously start thinking of planned, sustainable development.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2018.
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