December 01, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 2, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 30: While the city government has handed over physical possession of more than 4,000 plots to their owners in the Orangi Cottage Industrial Zone, nothing has been done for those who were allotted plots in the Landhi Cottage Industrial Zone 15 years ago by the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

The defunct KMC had invited applications from unemployed youths for allotment of over 2,300 plots in the Landhi Cottage Industry scheme in 1993. As a result of computerized balloting, 2,334 plots – each measuring 200 square yards – were allotted to the successful applicants. Most of the allotment holders had made a part payment of Rs15,000 each as the plot’s total cost was Rs22,000.

However, so far neither any allotment holder has been given physical possession of his plot nor has his money been refunded.

Whenever any allotment holder approached the defunct KMC or the successive city governments, he was told that most part of the 250.2-acres land had been encroached upon and efforts were being made to get the land vacated.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that the scheme of Landhi Cottage Industry was launched in haste and without taking into account the fact that the KMC did not have physical possession of the land.

In 1960 the then Collector Karachi had allotted the land to the KMC and it had paid an amount of Rs782,812 for it. However, the possession of the land was not given to the KMC and until 1993 it was in the possession of the Board of Revenue, Sindh.

Neglecting the ground reality, the KMC had allotted 2,334 plots to applicants of the Landhi Cottage Industrial Zone.

Before even the start of any development work there by the defunct KMC, the revenue department allotted about 149 acres to individuals on 99 and 30-year lease on the pretext that the land was not utilised and the KMC did not make full payment. Later, 29 acres more were grabbed by certain individuals.

The sources said that unlike the Orangi Cottage Industry scheme, whose land had been retrieved in a massive anti-encroachment operation, the land allocated for the Landhi Cottage Industrial Zone could not be retrieved as a majority of the occupants possessed legal lease documents.

They said a few years ago the city government conducted a detailed survey of the area on the special directives of former city nazim Niamatullah Khan and it transpired that some 70 acres allotted to the scheme were still vacant.

As the vacant land is insufficient, the city government sent a letter to the Board of Revenue for allotment of 250-acres land as an alternative to accommodate the allottees of the cottage industry in 2003.

“Last year, we again forwarded a request to the Sindh government, which is still considering it,” said a city government official. “We tried hard and revived the Orangi Cottage Industrial Zone project and soon we will revive other such projects,” he claimed.

It is ironic that no provincial government took interest in handing over the physical possession of plots to their owners in Landhi. Although some successful applicants have approached the office of the provincial ombudsman, they see little hope of any early settlement.