EIDUL FITR was around the corner. But as it often happens, a few days prior to the happy and festive occasion, citizens were faced with one problem or another. On Oct 14, 1974, the issue of water shortage caused inconvenience to Karachiites. Apart from general complaints of lack of pressure in water mains, per capita supply had been affected as well. In Federal B Area, the problem occurred because there was not enough water in the reservoir that fed it to the pumping system. In the posh Defence Society, there was scarcity in some sectors. Residents claimed that the shortage happened due to improper functioning of valves and water boosters. In localities that depended on tankers, the tanker drivers tried to get extra money from residents.

Keeping the same occasion in mind, on Oct 17, it was announced that the Karachi Milk Supply Scheme planned to sell at least 25000 maunds of milk for consumption on Eid day (Oct 18). Until the afternoon of Oct 16, it had booked about 1,000 orders. Inquiries showed that the bulk of the orders were coming from a large number of milkmen and those who dealt in milk products with the intention of reselling it to their customers at a premium. Why was it happening? Answer: the scheme had practically no arrangements for home delivery.

While all of this was keeping people occupied, hordes of beggars from upper parts of the country arrived in the city. They had generally camped on the outskirts of Karachi and spread to all parts of the Sindh capital — with begging bowls or without them. Among them, girls and women moved in groups whereas the male members preferred to work alone.

On the first two days of Eid, people thronged Clifton beach to make the best of the melathat had become an annual feature in the local calendar. The other two most crowded spots were Zoological Gardens and the beaches at Manora. The affluent ones opted for Hawkesbay and Paradise Point. At Clifton, in order to cope with the rush, there were larger number of camels and horses for rides along the sea. The crowds continued to grow until late afternoon and began to thin after sunset.

The administration had arranged for extra buses to control the mela traffic. Many families hired camel and donkey carts. The number of cyclists was significant, too. In the evening, away from the sea, Hill Park attracted visitors.

This meant that with the burgeoning population, the city required a fresh approach to infrastructural development. On Oct 16, it came to light that the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) was examining the possibility of having a uniform policy regarding construction of multi-storey buildings on all plots in the Garden quarters. A 45-year-old circular of the then collector of Karachi, still operative, prohibited construction of such structures in the area without special permission, which, among other things, specifically mentioned that the “owners are bound to maintain the privacy of neighbours”. The KMC was of the view that the accommodation problem of the town demanded necessary amendments to the existing areas to enable plot holders to build more than two floors.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2024