KARACHI, Aug 5: Speakers at a seminar on Thursday expressed concern over poor planning and rehabilitation of affectees of Lyari Expressway project, saying there were a number of loopholes in the execution of project and resettlement.

They expressed these views at a seminar on "The resettlement issue of the Lyari Expressway project", organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF). Project director of Lyari Resettlement Project Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha; Baseer Naveed, Chairman, Action Committee for Civic Problems; Yousaf Barakzai of National Highway Authority, Project Director Lyari Expressway and Naib Nazim of Lyari Town Malik Mohammad Khan spoke.

"National Highway Authority, just to capture prime land around Lyari River has launched a project having no regard to sufferings of people, who were displaced due to the project," said Baseer Naveed, adding that commercial structures would be established alongside the expressway, which would only benefit people of NHA and their related departments.

He said that the project is also in total violation of Land Acquisition Act 1914, which is mandatory to be carried out, when land is required for such projects by displacing huge population.

He termed the estimated cost of Rs5.1 billion on project a lie as total cost will exceed over Rs10 billion when project would be completed because initial estimates were not based on truth.

He was critical of the way the people are being rehabilitated and pointed out a number of irregularities in allotment of plots and resettlement of these affectees. Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha said that the process of demolition of houses, which came in the way of expressway and allotment of plots in three different sites was carried out in a transparent manner as all the stakeholders were involved in the process.

About the resettlement of affectees of expressway and suggestions of rehabilitating them in the same area, he said that first it was planned to do so but only 10 acres was available on sides of expressway, which was insufficient to accommodate such a large number of people.

He pointed out that encroachment in Lyari River-bed was sprawling at the time of initiation of project and would have engulfed the entire bed, if it was not stopped at that time.

Paracha noted that absence of a master plan for the city was the main reason for unplanned and random expansion of the city and emphasized the need for low-cost residential units schemes to cater to the needs of growing population of city.

He refuted the allegations that proper facilities have not been provided at the rehabilitation sites and claimed that best way is to visit the area and ask the people whether they are happy with new environment and at new place or not.

Sajjad Mir said that when mega projects are initiated in national interest, people suffer from it, however, these sufferings of people are exploited by some groups. He remarked that a number of projects were introduced in the past, but some time later alternate projects were planned in place of them due to inconsistency in policies.

Referring to slum areas in Lyari River-bed and their displacement due to expressway, he mentioned that defending slum areas is not acceptable in any civilized society.

"I oppose all such concepts like regularisation of Kutchi Abadies in previous governments. Malik Mohammad Khan Awan, while supporting the project, said that it was in the larger interest of city. However, rehabilitation of people creates doubts in minds.

"By just giving Rs50,000 in compensation, how is it possible for the poor to construct shelter for their families. Yousaf Barakzai gave the technical details of the expressway project and informed that the project would be completed by December 2005, if remaining 50 percent alignment is handed over to the NHA in December this year. -PPI