KARACHI: The K.D.A. has regularised four unauthorised refugee colonies and has asked the KMC to make plans for the regularisation of all colonies in Lyari area, said Mr Roedad Khan, Commissioner of Karachi, while laying the foundation-stone of a policy project of multi-storeyed flats in Golimar yesterday. He said the colonies regularised were Khudadad Colony, Fatima Jinnah Colony, Hyderabad Colony and Agra Taj Colony.

Referring to complaints that people had to come to the city from far-off areas for employment, he said this problem would be solved when industries were set up in these areas. He said the problem of footpath dwellers could not be solved only by constructing multi-storeyed flats and building townships in the city, as the number of those living in “jhuggies” ran into lakhs.

This, he continued, would be solved by developing plots with full civic amenities in Korangi, Baldia and Qasba colonies and allotting them to hut dwellers to construct their own dwellings. Referring to the water supply problem faced by the residents of unauthorised colonies, the commissioner said community taps had been provided in Baldia Colony, Pirabad, Golimar, Jahangirabad and Jalalabad, while the work of providing water connections to 16 other colonies was in progress.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014