• Under the proposal, authority identifies its several prime plots and properties for public-private partnership projects
• Workers’ union raise concerns over ‘unprecedented’ move
• Questions why KDA not making efforts to retrieve its encroached land
• Opposition leader in City Council says handing over KDA land to private parties tantamount to corruption

KARACHI: The controversial proposal put forward by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) to invite private developers to build residential, commercial and mixed-use projects on its prime land raised many eyebrows.

The proposal identifies several prime KDA-owned properties for development under the proposed public-private partnership model.

These include around 28 acres of land adjacent to the KDA Officers Housing Society on Stadium Road, about 15 acres of land in the KDA Staff Colony in Block-U, North Nazimabad, nearly four acres occupied by the KDA field office in Block-1 (ST-7 and ST-7A) of Federal B Area and around 1,900 square yards of land in KDA Scheme-1.

According to the proposal, these sites could be developed for residential, commercial and mixed-use projects to generate revenue for the authority.

If approved, it would be the first time that the KDA would rely on public-private partnership to develop its own land instead of independently launching housing schemes, marking a significant departure from its long-standing role as Karachi’s premier public housing developer.

The proposal says the move is aimed at helping the “financially troubled authority generate revenue, clear billions of rupees in liabilities and revive its role in the city’s housing sector after years of inactivity”.

However, the proposal has already triggered concern among KDA employees, who question as to whether the authority should part with its most valuable land instead of developing housing schemes on its own.

Abdul Maroof, president of the KDA Employees Union (CBA), called the move “unprecedented” and said that the workers despite “being real stakeholders” are still in dark about the details of the proposal.

He also questioned the initiative, saying that the KDA leadership was introducing the proposal while ignoring hundreds of acres of land in different parts of the city, which have been “encroached upon by mafias”.

“We understand that there’s a crisis as there’re over 200 pensioners and 1,600 workers whose dues have yet to be paid,” he said.“But for that a proposal of a bailout package worth four billion rupees is already pending before the Sindh government.”

He said: “The pieces of land in question are our prime assets. How can one compromise on those for needs of a few billion rupees. Then there’re hundreds of acres of KDA land which have been encroached upon. Why don’t we make effort to reclaim them? And most importantly we are not aware of the details of these proposals. Only sketchy details through media would not serve the purpose. We want clarity and we must be taken into confidence before any final decision.”

Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Advocate Saifuddin of the Jamaat-i-Islami also voiced concern over the development.

He said the KDA’s land belongs to Karachi’s people and should be used for its intended purposes and the welfare of the city’s residents. He said handing over the prime land to private developers and groups would be corruption.

He demanded that the matter be made public, otherwise, the JI will resist any illegal, anti-people move and fight for people’s rights in courts and on streets.

Responding to queries, KDA Director General Asif Jan Siddiqui told Dawn that the proposal is in its very initial stage and will take not less than a year to materialise.

When asked, instead of involving private developers why the KDA is not planning to launch housing schemes on its own, as it had done successfully in the past, he said the authority’s circumstances were no longer the same.

“The KDA’s situation is no longer what it used to be,” said the KDA chief referring to the authority’s financial and administrative situation.

“For more than a decade, the KDA has been unable to launch any new scheme amid financial crisis. We have been struggling and have so many overheads including payments to pensioners and salaries to workers. We find it [the proposal] best possible way to restore the primary role of the KDA after generating funds through our own resources.”

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026