KARACHI: In the light of several directives issued by the apex court regarding rehabilitation of the families rendered homeless following a demolition drive along three major drains in the city over two years ago, the chief minister took up the matter in a meeting on Thursday and directed the finance department to release funds for a township in Malir.

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar presided over the meeting and directed the local government department to start the internal development of the township.

He conceded that the provincial government and other institutions concerned were already very late to accommodate the affected families, and said that now it must be done on a war footing.

According to a statement issued from CM House, the meeting was convened to finalise the development of the township at Taiser Town for the affected families of Gujjar, Mehmoodabad, and Orangi Town nullahs.

CM Baqar regrets two years’ delay in implementation of SC orders, asks MDA to complete housing scheme within six months

Local Government Secretary Manzoor Shaikh briefed the caretaker chief minister about the housing scheme, saying that 137.74 acres have been allocated for around 6,500 affected people/families at Taiser Town in Scheme 45 of the Malir Development Authority (MDA).

He said the Sindh government would allot a plot, measuring 80 square yards, to each affected person/family and after handing over the possession of the plots, with title and free from all encumbrances, the cost of construction would also be paid to them.

Justice Baqar directed the MDA to engage an architect for proper development of the housing scheme for the affected people and also to develop a park, a playground, a school and a mosque in the township. He said all essential utilities such as gas, water and electricity should be provided there.

He asked the finance department to release funds so that the inner and outer development of the housing scheme could be started, and said that he would personally visit the area to ascertain if the quality work was being carried out.

The caretaker CM ordered the MDA to start the development work and try to complete it within six months. “We are already very late to accommodate the affected people and now it must be done on a war footing,” he added.

The meeting was held at CM House and also attended by Minister for Local Government Mubin Jumani, Minister for Law Omar Soomro, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Finance Secretary Kazim Jatoi, Law Secretary Ali Ahmad Baloch, Karachi Commissioner Saleem Rajput, MDA Director General Naseem Sahto and officials concerned.

The demolition drive was started in 2020 on the orders of the Supreme Court remove encroachments from the three major nullahs in order to widen them. In 2021, the apex court had ordered the provincial and local authorities to pay compensation to the affected people and rehabilitate them.

However, the order could not be complied with and an application was filed seeking contempt proceedings against then chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

On August 17 this year, the apex court was informed that despite the passage of around two years, the Sindh government had not taken any step in this regard and even the rent support amount had not been paid to a large number of such families.

Subsequently, the SC directed the provincial and local authorities to pay compensation on account of rent support to the displaced families within 30 days.

The then CM had also assured the apex court that proper allocation had been made in this regard and he would issue necessary instructions for due compliance of the court orders before leaving his office on the same day in the evening.

On Dec 21, the apex court was informed that out of 6,932 affected families, the cheques on the account of rent support had been handed over to 6,471 families. He had submitted that 461 such families were still remaining while the chief secretary, mayor and commissioner had jointly requested the court to allow them some more time for an appropriate decision and roadmap.

Thereafter, the Supreme Court directed them to expedite the rehabilitation process and submit a report with a proper timeline within 15 days.

A large number of the affected persons, including elderly ones, women and children, used to turn up at almost every hearing to stage protest outside SC’s Karachi registry and most of them are still complaining that they have not yet received the rent support amount despite their frequent visits to the offices concerned.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2023