KARACHI, July 2: Despite the fact that Malir Development Authority and Lyari Development Authority have failed to complete a single housing project since their commencement in 1993, the city government has decided to retain them as a separate identity under it.
In a recent meeting, chaired by the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, in his office, it was decided to transform LDA and MDA into projects and keep them intact under the city government, to be headed by project directors, formerly directors general.
While the governing body will be replaced by a steering committee with the DCO Karachi as its chairman and EDO Finance and Planning, EDO Works and Services, EDO Revenue and a nominee of Nazim Karachi Saleem Azher as its members, the relevant project director will be the secretary of the project.
Though it was declared in the meeting that the LDA and MDA (now LDP and MDP) would be devolved on the pattern of defunct KDA, the projects have been kept intact under the city government, whereas all departments of KDA and KMC (defunct) have been merged into the main departments of the city government and some of the functions have been devolved to towns and union councils.
Incidentally, the Nazim of Karachi has expressed his satisfaction over the merger of the LDA and MDA into the city government by saying that these cannot be further devolved as they were formed under an act and the act has to be repealed before their further devolution.
However, KDA, too, was formed under the KDA order 1957 and all of its departments have been segregated and merged with concerned department of the city government, like health, education and computer departments of the defunct KDA have been merged with the health, education and the IT group of offices of the city government which are headed by their respective EDOs.
According to sources, a summary moved by the city government requesting the provincial government to repeal these acts is presently lying with the law department from where they will be forwarded to the governor.
After the formation of LDA and MDA in 1993, virtually all the development activities in Karachi came to a standstill, as KDA had the expertise for undertaking the development activities but no land was available with it as nearly all the development land, including four incomplete schemes, were transferred to the LDA and MDA.
Whereas, despite a passage of so many years, the two development authorities could not complete the development schemes inherited by them and most of the LDA and MDA land was doubly allotted by the Board of Revenue, creating inconvenience and mistrust among allottees.
Two development schemes were Shah Latif Town, spread over 500 acres having 49639 plots, Taiser Town on 20570 acres having 40,000 plots which were transferred to MDA in 1993 from KDA, whereas it initiated one low-cost flats project situated on main National Highway which are about 50 per cent complete but work on them has been stopped for the time being.
Sindh Ombudsman Justice Haziqul Khairi had to take a suo motu action against the New Malir Housing Scheme due to inordinate delay in the allotment of plots to about 32,000 applicants.
According to Ombudsman’s annual report-2000, investigation in the case revealed that mal-administration had been committed and account of its advertising consultants were frozen to save public money.
