KARACHI, Oct 9: Land related disputes in Keamari Town are one of the major problems which need immediate attention of concerned agencies, a survey shows.
The town being carved out from the coastal and rural areas of old Karachi West comprises mainly katchi abadis.
Its landscape also covers islands – Shamspir and Baba Bhit – besides picnic spots along the city’s coastline, which include Hawkesbay beach and scenic places such as Mubarak village.
Because of its vast land area, its landscape has always attracted those who have vested interest in the development of land.
In the absence of a clear-cut land allotment policy and demarcation of land owned by villagers since centuries, disputes always take place between government agencies and residents over the ownership of land.
The centres of these disputes are Mubarak village, Shamspir and Yunis abad, Mohammadi Colony and in Gabopat UC villages where people have been complaining that government agencies and private land-grabbers are eying their precious land under the pretext of development.
Though government agencies have always denied the claim made by people, there are, however, “genuine complaints” needing serious attention of authorities, say residents.
Some 70 per cent of the town’s population live in katchi abadis and in abject poverty. Most of the very old localities have not been regularized in areas such as Mohammadi Colony, Shershah, Muwach goth, Sikandarabad, Intelligence Colony, etc, where municipal services are badly needed.
The residents said although sanads (property documents) had been issued to the entitled villagers under the Sindh Goth Abad Scheme, but these documents were not being recognized by courts and banks.
Consequently, such villagers can neither obtain any loan for house construction, nor can they mortgage their properties.
In view of conflicting claims, the residents called for issuing proper lease documents to the villagers.
Community leaders admitted that land-grabbing was a flourishing business in the town and should be tackled immediately. But, at the same time, they stressed that a decision should also be taken about the administrative control of land.
Presently, they argued that a number of government agencies were claiming ownership of land, which also includes a vast track of land being in the possession of villagers for years.
