HDA plans ‘private industrial zone’ against law

The Hyderabad Development Authority, notorious for inordinately delaying the completion of its housing projects including the mega housing scheme Gulistan-e-Sarmast, now seeks to establish private industrial zones. However, Hyderabad district administration appears poised to dash the authority’s plan, reminding that it is arguably trying to trespass its mandate.

“… any such schemes of industrial estate or zones is in deviation of the mandate and bylaws of the HDA,” reads a letter written by additional deputy commissioner Lal Dino Mangi to Director Planning and Development Control of the HDA. Mangi also referred to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directives against executing schemes in a scattered way and destroying the green spaces by converting agricultural land to residential, commercial or industrial.

The authority is granting no-objection certificates for the Crystal and DMSS industrial zones near the Hyderabad SITE area, which is under the administrative control of Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate. The zones in question, if approved and established, will be under the HDA’s management.

“… till consideration of any industrial zone or estate by the Sindh government, the schemes of Crystal and DMSS zones should be suspended immediately,” the additional DC wrote, asking the HDA’s Director to submit details of the schemes on Hyderabad-Tando Muhammad Khan road to the DC’s office.

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In a rejoinder to Mangi’s correspondence, the HDA contended that the HDA Act, 1976, allowed the authority to set up such projects. Rizwan also referred to the 20-year master plan for Hyderabad, prepared by Osmani and Osmani consultants, which also reserved the industrial zones.

“This [the said schemes] area is exclusively outside the land of the SITE area.” He also asserted that the authority has the right to define and recommend the land use within its jurisdiction. “Even the SITE Hyderabad is bound to obtain a development permit from HDA.”

The authority’s argument, however, failed to convince the district administration which reiterated the suspension of approvals for the zones. “We think that director P&DC is quite unaware of the mandate that HAD has a specified has a specified controlled area under article 15 of the Act and as per zonal plan scheme under article 18 where NOCs have to be issued only for the housing schemes,” Mangi wrote.

He also reminded the authority that the master plan of the consultant has not been approved by the Sindh government even after passage of 14 years. “The version of the Director P&DC is confusing and misleading,” the additional DC said. He pointed out that a lot of unutilized land still existed in the SITE area Hyderabad and Sindh Small Industrial Estate as well as in the cottage industry zone as such there is no need of more industrial zones in Hyderabad.

Mangi stated that HDA was earlier supposed to provide 200 acres land for the solid waste landfill site. However, on order of the supreme court mandated water commission the site was shifted to Jamshoro district and the land reserved for the landfill is supposed to be used for the educational purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2021.