Progress or price — green belts make way for Education City

Disputed project has already claimed 9,000 acres of Malir land, 12,000 acres more allocated

KARACHI:

The Sindh Land Utilisation Department has moved forward with plans to allocate an additional 12,000 acres of land in Malir district for the controversial Karachi Education City project. The new allocation includes large swathes of farmland, triggering fears that the metropolitan city's largest green belt could vanish and disrupt the critical supply of fresh produce from Malir.

Official documents reveal that the land earmarked for the project spans Deh Chuhar, along with parts of Deh Amilano and Deh Abdar. Earlier phases of the project had already claimed 9,000 acres of Malir land, resulting in the displacement of around 30 villages and the incorporation of 779 acres of farmland.

Originally, the Sindh government had projected that the first phase of the project would be completed by 2010, with the second phase set to begin by 2012. However, persistent delays have left the project incomplete. The estimated cost of the project, which was initially pegged at Rs13 billion, continues to rise.

Local residents affected by the expansion of the project have formed the "Education City Action Committee," which has vowed to challenge the government's decision in court.

The committee's convener, Mujahid Ahmed Jokhio, expressed his concerns, stating that the project was more commercial in nature than beneficial to the local community. "Most of the institutions within the Education City are commercially run and provide no tangible benefits to the local population," he added. Jokhio further stated that a huge portion of the land being acquired is used for agriculture, which contributes to the supply of vegetables to various parts of Karachi. Once the land is converted for commercial use, he warned, this vital agricultural supply would be jeopardised.

In response to local concerns, PPP Malir President MPA Razaq pledged his support for the community, stating that he would stand by them in their fight against the displacement caused by the project.