KARACHI: Landmark projects suffer due to bureaucratic wrangling
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Aug 6: Karachi, which is the economic engine of Pakistan, some of its landmark projects suffer due to apathy of bureaucratic wrangling or owing to complicated judicial system which failed to deliver even in cases pertaining to the collective good.
These projects are recalled every time, when President Musharraf visits the metropolis only to remind him the need to pull up the officials responsible for ignoring the projects.
The city, which used to cater to the needs of 0.3 million people 50 years back, has turned into a sprawling urban centre where enterprising people coming from every part of the country in search of green pastures, toil day and night and carved out their place.
The unplanned growth in every sector and shrinking civic amenities speak volumes of the apathy, neglect and mismanagement, despite Gen Musharraf’s commitment on the occasion of launching the Programme for Economic Revival of Karachi in 2001 to restore its past glory and charm. The city, which used to be the heaven for investors, had been the commercial heart of Pakistan.
The President had said, “This is our city. This is my city. This is your city. This is the city of Quaid-i-Azam and therefore we have to bring order into its civic structure.” The revival of Master Plan, he hoped, would regain the lost status of Karachi.
He had also announced to give first priority to the look after of the poor of Karachi. “We owe it to them and to the teeming millions, some of whom may not be getting two square meals every day,” he added.
No doubt, on some of the schemes, initiative has been taken like the construction of Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) to take the affluent to sea, the 100mgd K-III Bulk Water Supply Scheme, Lyari Expressway and the Northern Bypass. But, most of the projects of pressing nature, which were of short term and could benefit common man the most, remained a dream.
The projects badly needed to benefit the poor, included an indoor sports complex to facilitate youths developing skills of healthy competition and the completion of Aiwan-i-Rifaat to promote art and culture in the intolerant society.
The city managers have mastered themselves in the art of shelving issues or continue to delay implementation on some of the projects like revival of Karachi Circular Railway, turning gutter Baghicha into a sprawling park, developing the old Sabzi Mandi into a central park.
The operation of the Karachi Circular Railway was suspended on Dec 15, 1999 although three billion rupees were spent on flyovers over the KCR tracks to improve the KCR services and facilitate people, but after their completion the project was abandoned.
The Chinese firm, which had shown interest in its revival after awaiting response from the government, left disappointed due to indecision over the land from where the railway track of the KCR was passing.
The plan to add Indoor Sports Complex at the junction of Garden Road and MA Jinnah Road conceived and started its construction in early 70’s, but the project is still uncompleted.
Likewise, an auditorium that was planned in Aiwan-i-Rifaat in the Burns Garden, after investing millions of rupees had been abandoned to haunt people. No one knows, who has blocked the implementation on the public utterances of President Musharraf, which he made while addressing the Referendum Rally in Karachi to complete the Aiwan-i-Rifaat Auditorium by providing funds from the central government.
On the contrary, the Aiwan-i-Rifaat has been converted into the office of EDO Culture and Sports of the city government and its open space has been used as charged parking place.
Another odd landmark standing in the vicinity of five star hotels is the Hyatt Regency, whose incomplete building structure is visible even far of Jinnah Bridge and even from the State Guest House. Although President Musharraf had directed the concerned institutions to get the project moving by writing off its mark-up money accumulated since the investments, nobody appeared to pay heed to his directive so far.
The Gutter Baghicha, which was spread over 1,000 acres, after its survey had reduced to 469 acres only.
The old Sabzi Mandi area was handed over to the Corps-5 for development. Its designing has been finalized, but some of its portion was under litigation as such no work has been under taken for development so far.
