KARACHI, March 27: After resisting compliance of the orders of the high court and ombudsman of Sindh for more than four years, the Market Committee finally got its master plan for the New Sabzi Mandi approved from the city government.
However, the NOC issued by the city government is valid only for one year with the condition that the Market Committee will ensure strict adherence to the orders of the SHC and the ombudsman as issued in various references and suits in this regard.
Besides, it has been made clear to the committee that all rules and regulations mentioned in the Karachi Building and Town Planning Rules-2002 would be applicable, and the individual plans vis-à-vis the built-up and vacant units would have to be got approved from the KBCA/CDGK.
The layout plan of the new Sabzi Mandi does indicate different sectors earmarked for fruits and vegetable shops, sheds and cold storages, but without their sizes having been shown in the document.
What boggles the competent authorities is the allotment of about 6,000 shops and sheds marked in the plan to more than 8,000 applicants. Payments against the allotments have also been collected from the applicants. The Market Committee is supposed to explain how it would accommodate over 2,000 such allottees without amending the layout plan.
It many be recalled that the first proposed master plan submitted by the Market Committee showed some 3,000 shops and sheds. Later, it had put forward second plan with a layout of 4,000 such units and finally the latest one, approved provisionally, showing a little over 6,000 units.
A study of the latest layout plan shows that as against 12 plots sites for cold storages, only seven had been earmarked. Likewise, the plan shows the width of two categories of inside roads as 40 feet and 50 feet, though the physical study reveals that the width of these roads is not above 30 feet and 35 feet respectively. Similar discrepancy has been detected with regard to the width of footpaths.
The payment made in full by almost all the allottees for their shop/shed includes charges for basic facilities, like water supply, power connection, cleanliness and maintenance, etc., but no such facilities have been made available at the site so far.
In spite of all these flaws, the allottees who have submitted their individual construction plans with the KBCA by September 2003 may have heaved a sigh of relief following the Market Committee’s move to get its master plan approved. They had desperately been waiting for an end to the impasse that had been holding up their construction plans.
They also expect from the relevant authorities that the New Sabzi Mandi’s management would be transferred to the city district government as provided under the SLGO-2001 so that all the other matters relating to the Mandi could be handled in an appropriate manner. They justify their demand in this regard by pointing out that the affairs of all vegetable and fruit markets in the province are run by the respective local governments.
It may also be recalled here that an inquiry into the allegations of maladministration, corruption, etc. in the New Sabzi Mandi Affairs is under way. The inquiry had been prompted by widespread complaints by the allottees who had been facing numerous problems due to the alleged mismanagement. It had been initiated by the Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE), but taken over later by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which has now summoned all the relevant records available with the ACE.
