KARACHI, May 19: The Mideast Medical Centre in Clifton, which was set up in a five-storey building on two residential plots in Block 9, KDA Scheme-5, also known as Kehkashan, has been sold by its owner. It is widely believed that a shopping complex may be set up there. But, the relevant departments of the city government have not yet been informed about the transaction, and are unaware whether the premises would continue to be used as a hospital or put to some other use.

Sources in the city government said the plot No G-2/A, measuring 3,640 sq- yd, was originally allotted to Ms Perveen Ahmed Ali in 1962 for Rs28 per sq- yd. The same was leased out on March 23, 1972.

Ms Ali sold her plot to Dr Abdul Ghaffar Jatoi through a registered sale deed and mutation was allowed by the Karachi Development Authority (defunct) on Oct 25, 1972.The other plot (G-3), measuring 3,696 sq-yd, was originally allotted to Mr Shafiq Siagol at the rate of Rs30 per sq-yd. It was on the basis of a joint application that the transfer of the plot was effected in favour of Dr A Ghaffar Jatoi on Oct 21, 1972. These two plots were amalgamated by KDA on August 20, 1973.

Later, in pursuance of the then Sindh local government minister’s order of June 26, 1973, Mr Jatoi was allowed to use the amalgamated plot as a clinic.

Finally, the title of the land was transferred in favour of the Mideast Medical Centre on June 10, 1975.

Though no amalgamation fee was recovered to facilitate the hospital’s construction, it was observed that KDA should have charged commercial rate from the applicant.

Besides, the then minister for housing and town planning, Jam Sadiq Ali, wrote a letter to the KDA’s then acting director-general, requesting him to withdraw the NUF (non-utilisation fee) challan against the plot, as it was being used for a hospital.

The matter of charging commercial rates from the allottee of the amalgamated plot was twice referred to the KDA governing body by the authority’s Member (Technical), Z.A. Nizami, and the governing body through a resolution (No 724 of 5.11.81) resolved: “The allottee shall have to pay occupancy value to be determined on the basis of average official price of commercial plots within the area at the time of grant of permission for using the plot for hospital in 1973.”

Another resolution No 737 adopted by the governing body on Aug 16, 1982, inter alia said: “An inquiry be made from the transferee of plot No G-3, Block 9, Clifton, supported by documents and evidence if any free services are being provided by the medical centre to poor patients with a view to ascertain that Mideast Medical Centre is not being run purely on commercial basis, but is also a charitable organisation to a certain extent. And, the case be then put up to the governing body again for a decision.”

However, the rates were calculated at Rs231 per sq-yd on the basis of average auction price of 1973.

The plots were allotted for residential purposes at the rate of Rs28 and 30 per sq-yd and a difference of Rs202 per sq-yd was to be paid by the allottee.

The difference of amount under the head of occupancy value was calculated at over Rs1.4 million in 1979 by the KDA’s then director for Land Management, Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui.

And according to well-placed sources, this amount must have been multiplied several times, as surcharge levied on occupancy value cannot be exempted.

At present, occupancy value is being levied at 18 per cent of full occupancy value, besides commercialization rates for Clifton area falling in the A-One category are charged at Rs8,500 per sq-yd.

At the time of amalgamation, two senior citizens, residing in the vicinity of the plots, had written letters to the then Sindh chief minister, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, requesting him to intervene in the matter and get the hospital’s construction stopped, as both plots were exclusively meant for residential purposes.

The senior citizens’ plea was that construction of a hospital on residential plots in an exclusively residential area would not only amount to usurping the right of privacy but would also disturb the peaceful life of neighbourhood. It was rejected by the then minister for housing and town planning on Sept 23, 1974.

The rejection followed a summary prepared by the then provincial secretary for housing and town planning department, Mazhar Rafi.

The summary, which was put forward to the chief minister through the minister, was passed as an order. It stated: “The permission in this case for multi-storey building was allowed to save space and to encourage vertical construction in the much cherished and costly locality. The objection raised is, therefore, not entertainable and rejected.”

The order further said: “Dr Abdul Ghaffar Jatoi purchased the residential plots from open market and requested that two plots be amalgamated and he may be allowed to build a five-storey hospital. The request was agreed to by the minister (HTP) as a special case. The building plans were approved by KDA accordingly and construction of hospital is in progress.”

NAZIM’s VERSION: When the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, was approached by Dawn to get his comments on the issue, he said: “Since the plot was originally a residential plot and was wrongly used as hospital after treating it as a commercial plot, now after the hospital’s closure, the plot should be reverted back to residential category.