New Malir Housing Scheme hangs in uncertainty

Over two decades past, proprietors denied basic utilities, possession of land.

KARACHI:

"This land will be our home." Parents who had happily announced the following while touring the location of their future home in the New Malir Housing Scheme, would today probably be grandparents. Yet even after the passage of more than two decades, neither them nor their children could fulfil their dream of blissful living in the no man's land.

Announced in 1997 by the Malir Development Authority (MDA), the New Malir Housing Scheme, a residential project located on the National Highway, had set out to provide all the facilities including schools, hospitals, mosques, parks and playgrounds to its residents. However, even after the passage of 26 years, thousands of people who had booked their plots have still not been able to build their houses due to non-permission of construction.

According to sources, the MDA had allotted plots to more than 27,107 people to build their houses under this project. However, only 231 plot holders have been given physical possession in the housing scheme which was supposed to be completed in five years. The one per cent who have been given possession of their land have no access to basic provisions like water, gas and electricity.

Ahmed Bakhsh and Muhammad Ali Shah, plot holders of the scheme, told The Express Tribune that although a long time has passed, the MDA has still not provided basic facilities including water, electricity and gas. "Despite this, the plot holders want to build their houses here, but they have not been given physical possession by the MDA. The few plot holders to whom MDA has issued physical possession have built their houses without basic facilities and have been living there for the past few years," claimed the proprietors.

During a survey by The Express Tribune, it was observed that some houses were built in Sector 5 and Sector 2 of the scheme where people were living with their families. Unfortunately, however, the inhabitants had to arrange water, electricity and gas through their own means. While water was obtained through underground boring or tankers, gas was supplied though cylinders and electricity was generated through solar panels.

In the five-year special audit conducted by the Auditor General of Pakistan regarding the land management of MDA, it has been stated that the management of MDA has not provided utility facilities to the people who were allotted plots in the scheme. Although Rs1.38 billion was allotted for the development of the scheme, no utility facilities were provided. Furthermore, an additional Rs353 million were collected separately for the establishment of a grid station in the housing scheme, which too is still nowhere in sight.

According to Sarmad Ali, an estate agent involved in property dealing in the Malir area, there are three different categories of plots in the New Malir Housing Scheme. "These include plots of 100, 200 and 400 yards. People who booked plots in this scheme 26 years ago wanted to build houses here, but despite waiting for a long time, most of them sold their plots due to delays in possession of land and provision of basic facilities. In this way, the owners of the plots have been changing often in this scheme. The few houses that have been built here are purely because they are located close to the main road," claimed Ali.

The Express Tribune contacted MDA's Director General Najabuddin Sehto in this regard, but he refused to comment.