KARACHI, March 16: The city government has made no attempt to get the owners and occupants of properties in old city areas to take out new leases.

Urban planners point out that the city government could not only earn a considerable sum by renewing leases on those properties which were allotted to people over 99 years ago but it could also change the landscape of the city, especially old areas, for the better.

The additional secretary of the Sindh government's local government department, Ghulam Arif Khan, told Dawn on Tuesday that the city government could earn at least Rs3.5 billion by issuing new leases on 350 valuable buildings in old city areas.

"All the lease records of old city areas have been computerized. In fact, in many cases notices were issued to the residents of old city areas to get their leases renewed. But no follow-up action was taken by the city government," he explained.

According to architect Arif Hasan, the city government has no idea how such a great opportunity is tiptoeing past it. "The city government could devise a land-use plan for the areas in which leases on properties are expiring. Without a land-use plan, the city government could do very little about renewal of leases," he observed.

The district officer of the city government's land department, Najamuddin Sikandar, said that residents of old city areas - such as Kharadar, Mithadar, Garden East, Garden West, Lawrence Quarters, Tela Ram Quarters, Railway Quarters, Old Town Quarters, Garri Khata Quarters, Marriott Quarters, Serai Quarters, Ram Bagh Quarters, Preedy Quarters, Saddar Quarters, Jamshed Quarters, Soldier Bazaar Quarters - needed to take out new leases on their properties.

"The expiry of leases started around 1960. Karachi was conquered by the British in 1843. Allotment of land began after some time. In most cases, these pieces of land were allotted for a period of 99 years," he explained.

He said the owners of properties in old city areas could get their leases renewed if they produced documents establishing without doubt that they possessed the properties.

"In quite a few cases, people do not possess ownership documents. According to city government rules, these people could go to court to establish their ownership. They could also obtain Certified True Copies of their documents in return for a nominal fee," he said.

However, the chairman of the Association of Builders and Developers, Babar Mirza Chughtai, asserted that the city government had not framed such rules which would help those who wanted to take out a new lease on their property.

"The residents of old city areas who want to obtain fresh leases on their properties face two problems. First, most of them cannot afford to pay the high tariff fixed by the city government for the issuance of new leases.

Second, since the city government has allowed lease conditions to be changed while issuing new leases, highrises have come up in old localities, violating the privacy of those living around them.

Most of the residents have no option but to sell their property to unscrupulous builders who have the means not only to pay the high tariff but also to get the lease conditions changed," he said.

The additional secretary of the Sindh government's local government department, Ghulam Arif Khan, said that lease conditions could be changed by the city council.

When contacted, Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan said that negotiations with those affected by expiry of leases were on. He added that the issuance of new leases would begin when the talks on tariff were concluded.