ALTHOUGH the government has been playing its role in sending all illegal immigrants back to their respective home countries, tens of thousands of people manage to escape the net and seek illegal shelter in Karachi. This is only possible because encroachment is an integral part of life in Karachi, and no state-run body shows any interest in making a move against ‘fresh’ encroachment.

As for the people of Karachi, they are the victims of the seriousness of the problem as it has a significant impact on their lives. They spot a ‘fresh’ encroachment right away, but there is hardly anything they can do about it because often there is some mafia working behind such activities. Most of these encroachers then indulge in illegal activities, like snatchings, robberies, drug-peddling, and even blatant killings.

Like many other city areas, Malir is now severely affected by the rapidly growing homeless population. The defunct railway line from Malir Halt to Model Colony has become a grand meeting point, a sort of headquarters, of the homeless. Despite several campaigns against encroachments, they keep returning, as can be seen in the accompanying image. It cannot be a mere coincidence that the area people regard both Malir Halt and Model Colony as highly unsafe spots, and avoid using them to the extent that they can do that.

The relevant authorities should wake up from their deep slumber and take long overdue action against the culprits in order to allow people to go about their daily lives with the required peace of mind.

Arsalan Ali Rao
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2024