Contrary to the Tuesday claims of the Governor’s House that residential arrangements have been made in New Rizvia Society for Abbas Town blast survivors, the neighbourhood bore a deserted look on Wednesday with area residents and the society office being unaware of any such arrangement on ground.

A guard standing outside the Ali Heights apartments, on the premises of Rizvia, Janisar Ahmed, said: “I was informed that some families would be coming but so far I haven’t seen anyone.

“Besides, there is no place to keep them in at the moment, as all apartments in the building have been sold,” he added.

According to the government claim, most families were supposed to be shifted to New Rizvia Society Phase II and III in Safoora Goth.

A resident of the apartment building, Syed Taqi Haider, said: “I heard on news channels about such an arrangement but no one has come here yet. Where would they live, once they come here?” he asked.

An officer at the Rizvia Society office said he had no idea whether the residents were to come that day or the next day, and suggested to this reporter to inquire from a nearby donation camp instead, set up by Jafferia Disaster Management Centre.

Speaking to Dawn, Deputy General of the JDMC Maratib Ali said: “No special arrangement has been made for the families. There’s not even a help desk set up for them yet.”

He added that a nearby government school was said to be a place where the families were supposed to shift. “But most people refused to live there, as there is neither electricity nor water in the school.”

At the same time, the JDMC asked the affected families to move to the society and promised to bear expenses till the time they went back to their reconstructed homes, Mr Ali added. But most families had either shifted to their relatives’ homes or were “contacting people they already know rather than wait for government aid.”

He said that all the aid collected would go directly to Abbas Town, “as we are not sure if anyone is coming here.

“Also, the JDMC is open for Shia as well as Sunnis,” he said.

Another resident, Zulfiqar Ali, said: “Some people might have shifted here, but no one can say for sure as otherwise it would be big news around here.”

When contacted, Governor’s House spokesperson Wajahat Hussain said that the commissioner of Karachi would have a better answer to give, whereas many calls to Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi went unanswered.

Speaking to Dawn, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza said: “The government did make arrangements in a school but the families refused the help.”

She added that they also arranged for generators to be kept outside the school, but it was not accepted. The whole idea behind relocating families to the school was due to “security in the neighbourhood, otherwise we had done everything we could,” she said.Ms Raza, who also had lost her three close relatives in the Abbas Town blasts, added that two trucks were standing outside the Rabia Flower and Iqra City apartments, in case some family wanted to shift their stuff. When asked whether they were used by families for shifting purpose, she said: “I don’t know exactly.”

- Text and photos by Saher Baloch/Dawn.com