KARACHI, Feb 13: The grabbing of land or an amnesty plot in a remote area might not be something unusual in Karachi. However, if it happens to be federal government property situated in the middle of the city and also falls in the constituency of a federal housing minister then it is something that cannot be ignored easily.

The Martin and Clayton Colonies, situated near Teen Hatti have become a haven for landgrabbers. They construct a house or shop as no government authority is there to challenge or demolish the encroachment, said a resident. The shops that they construct are easy to sell because junk sellers happily buy them. These commercial ventures are indulging in activities causing noise pollution which has become a permanent feature of the area, he added.

Interestingly, the area falls in the constituency of Sindh Environment Minister Dr Sagheer Ansari, who visits the area regularly.

The Martin and Clayton Colonies are federal government property, where the landgrabbers have a strong grip. This was evident in a visit to the area where estate agencies are set up to offer houses on rent and sell an illegally constructed house or shop.

Driving through Teen Hatti, you will find such estate agencies near Sunehri mosque. Shops constructed on government land are openly doing their business while houses and double-storey buildings attached to the government quarters have been raised without any objection or action from the concerned quarters.

An estate agent said the monthly rent of a house, constructed adjacent to the government quarters, was around Rs4,000.

He told this scribe that power and gas connections were available and the tenant would be responsible for payment of utility bills. Shops are priced Rs150,000 onwards depending on the location while the rent hovered from Rs1,500 to Rs3,000 per month.

This is called Martin Colony -- one of the many government colonies like Jehangir Quarters, Jamshed Quarters and Jail Road Quarters which were established in 1947 to accommodate government employees. Residential blocks with wide corridors had four to five houses each. Wide roads and proper sanitation system were the main features of the area. This was all there till late 80s when landgrabbing started picking up speed. But the pace of encroachment doubled in the last five years, said a resident.

Talking nostalgically about the good old days, Mr Khan said the area had totally changed within a few years. Junk sellers have now set up establishments in Martin Quarters near Jail Road School. Many shops have been set up inside the government quarters or structures have been raised on federal government property adjacent to the quarters.

All day one hears deafening sounds of hammering of iron plates, said another resident Yasir Hameed. He said the noise disturbed children and elders equally.

Initially, these junk sellers were limited to a few quarters but they penetrated deep into the colony in the last five years, area residents said adding that it has become difficult for families even to pass through certain parts of the area.

These shops are running in the middle of many houses between Baghdadi and Sunehri Masjid. A resident said, Work at these shops continues from 8am till late evening and trucks bring junk here everyday. He complained that labourers on these trucks disturbed privacy of the houses.

This is one of the old colony in Karachi, where people have been living since 1950s. This was the area where many writers, poets, and artists stayed who can tell stories of how well-managed the area was then. Famous writer Quratulain Haider stayed in the area and mentioned it in her memoirs ‘Kare Jahan Daraz Hey’. But, now the area has turned into a place where no family would like to stay, a poor resident said.

Perhaps it is not the first instance where federal government real estate is turning into a slum. Lines Area had turned into a kutchi abadi due to the negligence of the authorities. Many government quarters can be seen even today in various stages of decaying.

The landgrabbing activities have created a mess on adjacent areas like Patel Para and Bihar Colony and the original government quarters vanished with the mushroom growth of illegal structures.

Ironically, the government in later years provided lease to all these illegally constructed colonies, boosting the confidence of landgrabbers that their investment would not be lost.

In 1970s, government planned a road from Jail Chowrangi to Lasbella passing between the government quarters. The government demolished a line of quarters from Jail Road to Teen Hatti and then the project was abandoned. The quarters were left empty and half demolished providing bounty to landgrabbers.

Of course no government department had shown interest to protect these quarters; reasons may be obvious otherwise government officials were seen active on many legally occupied houses. The estate office took care of the government employees who were living legitimately in those houses while rest of the land had never been their problem.

The government employees blamed the Estate Office, PWD and federal housing ministry for the current situation saying that their policies and action damaged the colonies.

A resident claimed that whenever someone tried to raise the voice he had received evacuation notice from the estate office, while no notice or action had ever been taken for those living in the half-demolished quarters and turning the area into a slum.

Area people cited the recent example of Usmania Colony. They said people who had raised illegal structures on the land of Jail Road Quarters and named the area as Usmania Colony were given lease. However, many government servants have been running from pillar to post to get the houses leased.

The residents expressed apprehension that soon the government would lease the area and its old inhabitants would be forced to compromise. They said the federal housing minister and the provincial environment minister won the elections from this constituency and now they probably had no more interest in the area.