Hawkes Bay housing scheme stuck in limbo

Even after the passage of 40 years, water and electricity are still unavailable for residents

KARACHI:

Karachi’s oldest public sector housing project, the Hawkes Bay Scheme 42, continues to remain unpopulated even after the passage of nearly four decades since its announcement.

The project, which was started in 1984 by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for the lower- and middle-income classes, was built on more than 6,000 acres of land comprising 71 sectors and 75,000 plots ranging from 80 yards to 400 yards. In 1996, the scheme was transferred from the KDA to the Lyari Development Authority (LDA).

Till date the project remains in limbo with 70 per cent of investors waiting for a lucrative trade opportunity and the remaining 30 per cent of residents deprived of basic utilities like water and electricity.

Ghulam Murtaza, a resident of Hawkes Bay Scheme Sector 12 revealed that he had built his house a long time ago however, he was still unable to move into his new house due to the unavailability of basic utilities. “Despite having my own house, I live on rent in another area and have hired a watchman to guard my house in Scheme 42,” shared Murtaza.

Similarly, Nizamuddin Siddiqui, a senior journalist who lived with his family in Block 3 of the scheme revealed that he had built his house after retirement and had been living there for about three and a half years. “Basic facilities including water and electricity are still not available. Water lines have been laid but water doesn’t flow in them,” he lamented.

According to local property dealer Kamran Ahmed, the main water line was laid in 2008, costing Rs250 million at that time. “However, the line has not been connected to the Hub Dam yet. The water problem in Scheme 42 can be resolved as soon as the main water line is connected to the Hub Dam. Basic facilities like water and electricity are essential for the settlement of any area but unfortunately, both are not available in Scheme 42. It is beyond my understanding why water and electricity have not been made available here even though an illegally established slum in Karachi gets both utilities immediately,” questioned Ahmed.

LDA’s Executive Engineer Agha Nafees confirmed that although some houses in Scheme 42 were occupied, the majority remain deserted. “The LDA continued to carry out development work in Scheme 42 until 2008. However, development work could not be done after that due to lack of funds. When the scheme was transferred from KDA to LDA, the KDA had pledged to transfer Rs47 crore to the LDA but this amount has still not been released. In total, the LDA needs Rs30 billion to complete the development work of Hawkes Bay Scheme 42. We have planned to auction the commercial plots to collect this amount. The auction will start from January next year,” claimed Nafees.

Nafees further revealed that Scheme 42 will also have welfare plots, which will also be auctioned. In response to a question on the provision of facilities, he claimed that the main water line had been laid from Block 19 to Block 1 therefore, the water problem will be resolved soon.