KARACHI: The Sindh government was on Friday reminded of its responsibility to rehabilitate the people whose houses were demolished to revamp Orangi Nullah within two years as per the Supreme Court order.

A joint protest over the provincial government’s apathy towards the victims was organised by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) and Orangi Mutasireen Committee (OMC) outside the Karachi Press Club here on Friday.

Despite the passing of over a year since the demolitions, the provincial government is yet to determine a place for the victims’ rehabilitation, which is an abuse and a violation of the law, the protesters said.

Arsalan Anjum, head of the OMC and member of the KBT coordination committee, said that the government, in the name of the apex court, brutally demolished houses along Orangi Nullah as well as other working class neighbourhoods, which had complete documentation.

KBT demands Sindh govt provide alternative houses to victims of Orangi Nullah demolitions

“All this was done so that corrupt construction companies, the builder mafia and politicians could collude to make billions of rupees off these demolitions and the consequent construction projects. However, the same Supreme Court’s order to provide alternative housing and rehabilitation is yet to be implemented. The Sindh government does not want any land to be given to the working class. Instead, they want to use all the land in Karachi to make huge profits in connivance with the builder mafia and construction companies,” he maintained.

Abira Ashfaq, KBT’s legal secretary, warned the authorities that if the government thinks that this order of the SC will be forgotten with time, then it is their mistake. The KBT and victims will keep this struggle alive in courts and on the streets. “We will fight for the basic right to housing and will not rest until every family gets a house,” she stated.

She said that they will continue to raise their voices on every forum of the world, including the United Nations.

“The KBT will also keep reminding the World Bank and other organisations that give aid to the Sindh government that they should not support the ‘development’ of a government that deprives workers’ of their homes. Their financial support to these devastating projects is a violation of international laws and their agreements and policies. Our protest and voice will continue to expose your cruelty at all levels,” she added.

Another leader of OMC and member of KBT, Naseem Ahmed, said that more homes, which were originally not in the plan, were demolished in the SITE area to save large factories, whereas the width of the nullah had also been reduced in many places.

“The biggest atrocity is the zero safety arrangements during the demolitions so that the work could be done in less monetary resources and at the cost of the lives of people who live along the nullah. No safety wall was built along the nullah like in Mahmoodabad, due to which countless landslides took place, and several people lost their loved ones and also suffered financially,” Naseem stated.

Orangi Nullah victims and KBT demanded that the government immediately stop the ongoing demolitions in the city and provide alternative houses per household to the Orangi Nullah affectees and other demolition victims as per the apex court’s order.

They also demanded authorities to immediately issue the third instalment of cheques, register the missing identity cards and provide all three cheques to families who suffered financial losses due to negligence during work and landslides.

They also demanded that until the government rehabilitates the affectees it must continue to provide the rent cheques because the victims had no place to live.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2022