KARACHI, Dec 7: Parks and Amenity Spaces of Karachi is an 11kg book in three volumes costing Rs11,000 but from what experts say about it the book is worth every ounce of its weight.

The result of endless research by Shehri’s Naila Ahmed, the book is a first of its kind reference material that can prove extremely helpful in stopping illegal encroachment in the city as it has details of each and every area of Karachi along with each plot and piece of land there.

Introducing the book at its launch, Amber Alibhai of Shehri said that in a sense the book was her colleague Naila Ahmed’s baby, though she was in the US at the moment. “She is the one who collected maps from different departments. The maps were so old that you could not even make them out. But Naila went over them again and again,” she said, adding that it took them three years to put the book together and another four months went in its publication.

About its use, she gave the example of a recent tender invitation in one of the newspapers which caught her eye. “It was a tender for Rs20 million for a park in North Karachi. When I checked in the book to see the location of the address given in the advertisement, there were seven plots on the map with the same address. We smelled a rat and sent a notice and other details collected by us to the Sindh housing and town planning department to look into the matter,” she added.

“We are dedicating the book and this evening to the three champions of the cause of saving open spaces for citizens,” she said while naming Ardeshir Cowasjee, Nisar Baloch and Abdul Ghani.

“They are all no longer with us. Everyone in Pakistan knows Mr Cowasjee’s good work,” she said and added, “Nisar Baloch is known for his fight to save Gutter Baghicha from land grabbers and Abdul Ghani for doing the same for the places around Hawkesbay”.

Roland de Souza said that it was a book dear to Shehri and it should be dear to the heart of every citizen as well. “There is now a tendency to take over open spaces reserved for recreation in the cities because there are just no spaces left,” he said.

“If you look at the original city plan of Karachi, this was an excellent, very liveable place but all that is changing due to the increase in population,” he pointed out.

Mr de Souza then gave a detailed presentation on amenity plots and what they were reserved for such as educational institutions, assemblies, parks, burial grounds, transportation, parking, aquatic recreation, etc. In addition, they could be reserved for municipal/utility, transportation terminals and protection zones, he said.

“The law forbids change of land use but the last 65 years have seen arbitrary and unlawful sub-divisions, change of land use and numerous amenity plots falling prey to corrupt KMC, KDA and CDGK officials or to political and bureaucratic pressures,” he said while giving examples of the destruction of Huzuri Bagh, Gutter Baghicha and the devastation of mangroves with the help of various Google map images taken over the years that showed the changes in the landscape.

Finally, Olaf Kellerhoff, resident representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, who funded the publication of the book, spoke about the importance of protecting property rights.

“Countries where the rule of law and property rights are protected are doing very well in the world economy,” he said. “This is not a book for the library or for increasing the worth of any bookshelf. It is a book of action through which you can do something for your country,” he concluded.