‘Illegal’ occupation: Qayyumabad residents accuse DHA of encroaching
Housing authority insists the land belongs to them
KARACHI:
There is a tug-of-war going on between the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the residents of Qayyumabad over a piece of land spread a little over one acre.
The residents claimed that the land, which is being used as a graveyard, was allotted to them by former president Ayub Khan in the 1960s when their ancestors were relocated from Kala Pul. Ayub Khan wanted to build a staff colony for the staff of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre so he moved the residents, who hailed from Hazara district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to their present location in Qayyumabad.
Since the land is adjacent to DHA Phase VII Extension, there is a conflict. The housing authority insists these people have started burying their dead in land that belongs to it, while the residents claimed that the DHA only wants to extend Phase VII by taking over their graveyard.
"The land 'mafia' had already taken over all amenity plots in the colony," complained the vice-president of Qayyumabad Welfare Association, Shaukat Ali. Of the 164 acres allocated to the residents, 103 acres were earmarked for residential plots and the rest were meant for park, playground and a graveyard, he pointed out. "None of the facilities, apart from the graveyard, could be built," he added.
Similar to any other low-income settlement in the city, Qayyumabad Colony is a challenging place to live with its choked drains, garbage piles and poorly maintained infrastructure. With the alleged threat of encroachment, the residents believe they will be deprived of a place to bury their loved ones.
"The DHA wanted to increase the boundary of its Phase VII Extension into our graveyard," claimed Ali, adding that the same authority tried to occupy the land allotted to a college and a playground. "The DHA security guards have destroyed our graves and stopped us from burying bodies," he said.
For their part, the DHA spokesperson denied these claims and insisted the housing authority has never been involved in land grabbing in any neighbourhood. "The illegal graveyard, which is claimed by the Qayyumabad residents, completely falls under the jurisdiction of DHA," he said. "We have all the documents to prove this."
The DHA spokesperson pointed out that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had separately allocated nearly 2.7 acres for a cemetery and named it Qayyumabad Graveyard.
The association's Ali was under the impression that the DHA was behind the illegal bus and truck stand in the vicinity and believed it was a cover DHA would use to take over the land in the future. The caretaker of the graveyard, Younus Jani, told The Express Tribune that the DHA guards stop them every time they try to remove the illegal parking stand set up along the graveyard.
"We have held demonstrations several times but the authorities seemed helpless in front of the DHA," said Jani. "No one can take over our land until the Qayyumabad residents breathe their last."
The DHA spokesperson insisted they have no jurisdiction over the land where the parking stand has cropped up. "If the land mafia is behind that truck stand, they [Qayyumabad residents] should ask the mafia to release their land."
The wall that covers Phase VII Extension was built to demarcate DHA property, the spokesperson said, adding that the Sindh government allotted the land to DHA. "We have all documents to prove these claims," he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.
There is a tug-of-war going on between the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the residents of Qayyumabad over a piece of land spread a little over one acre.
The residents claimed that the land, which is being used as a graveyard, was allotted to them by former president Ayub Khan in the 1960s when their ancestors were relocated from Kala Pul. Ayub Khan wanted to build a staff colony for the staff of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre so he moved the residents, who hailed from Hazara district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to their present location in Qayyumabad.
Since the land is adjacent to DHA Phase VII Extension, there is a conflict. The housing authority insists these people have started burying their dead in land that belongs to it, while the residents claimed that the DHA only wants to extend Phase VII by taking over their graveyard.
"The land 'mafia' had already taken over all amenity plots in the colony," complained the vice-president of Qayyumabad Welfare Association, Shaukat Ali. Of the 164 acres allocated to the residents, 103 acres were earmarked for residential plots and the rest were meant for park, playground and a graveyard, he pointed out. "None of the facilities, apart from the graveyard, could be built," he added.
Similar to any other low-income settlement in the city, Qayyumabad Colony is a challenging place to live with its choked drains, garbage piles and poorly maintained infrastructure. With the alleged threat of encroachment, the residents believe they will be deprived of a place to bury their loved ones.
"The DHA wanted to increase the boundary of its Phase VII Extension into our graveyard," claimed Ali, adding that the same authority tried to occupy the land allotted to a college and a playground. "The DHA security guards have destroyed our graves and stopped us from burying bodies," he said.
For their part, the DHA spokesperson denied these claims and insisted the housing authority has never been involved in land grabbing in any neighbourhood. "The illegal graveyard, which is claimed by the Qayyumabad residents, completely falls under the jurisdiction of DHA," he said. "We have all the documents to prove this."
The DHA spokesperson pointed out that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had separately allocated nearly 2.7 acres for a cemetery and named it Qayyumabad Graveyard.
The association's Ali was under the impression that the DHA was behind the illegal bus and truck stand in the vicinity and believed it was a cover DHA would use to take over the land in the future. The caretaker of the graveyard, Younus Jani, told The Express Tribune that the DHA guards stop them every time they try to remove the illegal parking stand set up along the graveyard.
"We have held demonstrations several times but the authorities seemed helpless in front of the DHA," said Jani. "No one can take over our land until the Qayyumabad residents breathe their last."
The DHA spokesperson insisted they have no jurisdiction over the land where the parking stand has cropped up. "If the land mafia is behind that truck stand, they [Qayyumabad residents] should ask the mafia to release their land."
The wall that covers Phase VII Extension was built to demarcate DHA property, the spokesperson said, adding that the Sindh government allotted the land to DHA. "We have all documents to prove these claims," he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.