KARACHI, Aug 10: The illegal hydrants built in Gutter Baghicha in Site Town, which were dismantled by the City Government last month, have resumed operation, say area residents.
A grand operation was launched on July 17 and 18 for the removal of the illegal hydrants and poisonous cultivation grown in the sewage farm, during which as many as 50 illegal hydrants were dismantled. The campaign was carried out by the City Government’s land (revenue) department.
The operation was aimed at clearing the way for construction of a national park as announced by President Gen Pervez in his speech on April 28.
When contacted, an official of the City Government confirmed that the operation had been halted on the directive of a higher authority. He also admitted that the hydrants had been reopened.
A labour councillor from Site Town, Mah Bibi Baloch, in a letter, dated July 22, 2002, — addressed to the President, Sindh Governor, Corps Commander, Chief Secretary and other concerned authorities — has criticized the decision to restore the operation of the hydrants.
The councillor maintained that she had personally visited the site and witnessed that the hydrants had started operation.
She suggested that the jobs of removing the encroachment and construction of the national park in the sewage farm should be entrusted to the army as civilian authorities could neither perform the job nor manage it.
It is learnt that the operation against the illegal hydrants had been halted on a request of an association of industrialists of the Site, because they claimed that it would lead to shortage of water, badly affecting the production activity.
Water shortage problem has persisted for years in the residential areas of the Site Town, including Old Golimar, Jehanabad, Shershah Colony, and residents attribute the problem to operation of the illegal hydrants.
According to area people, scores of illegal underground water connections have been provided to the industrialists in the area while they continued to suffer from want of drinking water.
Ever since the expansion of industrial units in the Site Town, it has become the hub of activities of water and land mafia and possession of land and water supply through private means have become a roaring business.
Meanwhile, a representative of a local NGO, Nisar Baloch, has also complained that illegal hydrants have been reopened.
“For years the industrialists in league with civilian officials have built illegal hydrants in the Gutter Baghicha after they were issued so-called NOCs,” he said.
Due to the illegal hydrants, mostly connected with nearly industrial units, he said, there was an acute water shortage in Shershah, Pak Colony, Rexer Lane, Hasan Aulia village and Old Golimar.
The decision to launch the operation against encroachment was taken at a meeting chaired by DCO Karachi in light of a directive by the President to expedite work on the proposed national park.
It had been decided that in the first phase the park would be developed on the available land and development work on roads should be carried out through the KPP, especially in front of Site Public School.
During a survey, senior residents have also suggested that the operation should be monitored and supervised by the army so that the encroachers could not return.
They also demanded that chemical units and marble factories, built in the surrounding areas of the Baghicha, should be shifted from the residential areas to save the people from pollution.
