Bahria Town’s Clifton project has had a bumpy ride ever since it was initiated six weeks ago.

The mega construction project, comprising two flyovers and an underpass in a historically significant part of Karachi, raised concerns when it was first sprung upon the city’s residents through newspaper reports on March 14. By then, containers had already been put into place to block off huge sections of the busy Jahangir Kothari Parade road network, and excavators were gouging chunks out of the thoroughfare. In the weeks following, allegations of blackmail and protestations of ‘public interest’ by various stakeholders have been bandied back and forth in the media and in court.

In the latest development, Bahria Town has announced it is abandoning the Rs1.8 billion project — which it described as a “gift” to the people of Karachi, adding, “…we have no interest left in it, even if the court now allows us to pursue it”.

Meanwhile, the area lies in a shambles, with access to the temple, other heritage sites and a shopping complex severely restricted by the construction work. The company’s PR representative could not be reached for comment, despite repeated attempts.

“The problem with this country is that too many people are trying to do ‘good’ things for it,” says Roland DeSouza, an environmental activist. “The fact is that the project was necessitated by the 68-floor Bahria Town Icon Tower nearby, and anyone who says this road network was undertaken for public welfare is telling lies. The last set of master planners we had for this city was back in the 1970s.”

From the outset, the project’s detractors cited the environmental impact the construction would have on the ancient Hindu temple, colonial structures and historical Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar located within its environs. The work had started even before an NOC from the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) had been issued, which is done after the agency assesses a project to determine whether it requires the more basic Initial Environment Examination (IEE) or an EIA (Environment Impact Assessment). The latter is mandatory for projects over Rs100 million and entails public hearings to consider feedback from concerned citizens. (The NOC in the Clifton project case was issued in a record six days, whereas the procedure normally takes no less than several months.)

After an earlier restraining order on April 2 was temporarily vacated on April 11 by a division bench of the Sindh High Court, a single bench of the SHC on April 29 ordered that all construction work on the project be stopped until an EIA report was submitted by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the authority overseeing the project.

There seems little doubt which party is responsible for restoring the site to its original state. The court in its order says: “…as a self-avowed volunteer and public benefactor, Bahria Town must bear the risk of any ‘negative consequences’ flowing from the project being stopped on account of the law having been flouted and disregarded.”

According to structural engineer Mushtaq Dawood, filling in the dug up portions should not be a very difficult task. “However, it’s necessary to compact the soil properly to make it stable, but if they apply all their resources, the job shouldn’t take more than two to three weeks.” Another engineer adds that unless “each layer [is] separately tamped down and completely consolidated,” the soil will “settle unevenly in future, damaging the roads and adjacent structures”.

Meanwhile, Rauf Akhtar Farooqui, KMC administrator, said he had not received anything in writing yet from Bahria Town regarding the abandonment of the Clifton project and was unable to comment on the future course of action. When asked about the lack of an EIA report, he said, “We requested Sepa to issue an IEE. It was Sepa’s responsibility to ask for an EIA if it thought it was needed.”

Defending the haste in which the project was undertaken, he said, “This was the first time that a developer had donated funds for the construction of a public interest project — it was a special case — and we had to get it done quickly because of the coming monsoons.”

As this project appears to have come up against a brick wall, perhaps Bahria Town could illustrate its zeal for the common good by supporting other projects in the city, such as the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway. Also, if it really does have public interest at heart, it should prove that by swiftly restoring the construction site to its original condition.