KARACHI, Oct 1: Over 2,000 residents of the two localities, Mannoo Goth and Noor Muhammad Goth, located near old Sabzimandi, have been made to live in sub-human conditions owing to the inordinate delay in the regularization of their villages.

In a complaint lodged with the Sindh ombudsman, convener of the Mannoo Goth Residents Association, Muhammad Ilyas, claimed that despite the fact that both the goths, spreading over an area of 33 acres, were among the oldest localities of the city, they had not been regularized as yet owing to bureaucratic wrangling and vested interests.

He recalled that the defunct KMC’s kutchi abadis department had undertaken a survey of all the kutchi abadis in the city in 1979 and conducted physical planning of both the goths as well as the adjoining Essa Nagri for the purpose of regularization. It had also published a pubic notice inviting suggestions and objections from general public.

However, he added, only Essa Nagri had been leased out in 1987 while the fate of both the goths hanged in the balance.

The department’s director had transferred entire record of kutchi abadis, which did include those of the two goths, to the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) on April 29, 1987, for their enlistment, he said and added that the SKAA did not include the two goths in the master list.

Accusing the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority of deliberately delaying the matter of regularization of the goths, he prayed to the ombudsman to order the goths’ enlistment in master list so as to enable the defunct kutchi abadis department, which has now become part of the city district government, to start process of regularizing the goths.

The association’s convener has also appealed to the ombudsman to fix the lease charges for both the goths in the light of the minutes of defunct KDA’s meeting held on Jan 4, 1972, besides ordering the BOR Member (Land Utilization) to transfer the land of the goths without any further loss of time.