KARACHI: Army leases land with scant regard for city’s master plan
Reliable sources report that the approximately 17-acre (80,000 sq yards) chunk of army-owned land is sandwiched between M.A. Jinnah Road, Capri Cinema, Rizvi Shaheed Road, Parsi Colony and Islamia Club. It currently comprises bungalows on large plots but the Military Estate Office has allowed the construction of high-rise commercial and residential complex.
Pressure on civic infrastructure
However, many of these plots come under the city government’s scheme for future road-widening and the change in land-use allowed by the Military Estate Office is likely to cause complications in this regard. Sources pointed out that any high-rise buildings constructed on this land would have to be demolished – after an expensive and time-consuming legal battle – once the city government puts the road-widening plan into action.
This land is located along roads that already suffer regular traffics jams. An increase in the area’s population density would put further pressure on the roads since thousands of vehicles would be added. The situation would worsen significantly during the processions and demonstrations that are organised regularly on M.A.Jinnah Road, Numaish Chowrangi or the nearby Nishtar Park.
Furthermore, the high-rise buildings will increase the area’s population density by between 50 and a hundred times, which will put additional pressure on the overburdened civic infrastructure such as roads, water supply, drainage and the provision of electricity. Hardly about a thousand people occupy the bungalows currently standing on this land but high-rise buildings would dramatically increase the number of housing units. Subsequently, the area’s electricity and water needs would increase exponentially, as would sewage and garbage generation.
‘No right to seek profit’
Land such as this is given by the government to agencies such as the military, the port trust or the railways etc for specific uses related to the work of the relevant organisation. Issues arise when the organisation – the army, in this case – no longer requires the land. Sources maintained that when this happens, the land should be returned to the original owner, ie the government. However, they pointed out, agencies prefer to sell the land at profit, which they have no right to do since they were allowed the use of land such as the chunk on M.A. Jinnah Road at heavily subsidised rates and sometimes altogether free of cost.
An official of the city government’s master plan department told Dawn that the military authorities had not consulted the department in this regard. He pointed out that M.A. Jinnah Road is one of the city’s busiest arteries and the city government plans to introduce systems of mass transit along it, which would require the acquisition of additional land. However, he pointed out, the army is taking steps to increase the population density which would complicate matters. He added that the existing networks of water, power and drainage will become severely insufficient once the high-rise buildings are constructed.
The official maintained that at a number of meetings attended by land-holding agencies, including the military authorities, it had been agreed that while land-ownership would remain with the original agency, the land-use would be brought into conformity with the city’s master plan. However, he said, the military authorities had never consulted the city government in this regard.
Precedents favour city government
Roland deSouza of Shehri, an NGO working towards the proper use of land and lawful construction, confirmed that some of the plots on the land in question are included in the road-widening cut-line for the notified North-South Road. Referring to the possibility of future complications, he cited the case of a high-rise building at the corner of Aga Khan III Road and M.A. Jinnah Road, opposite the Bambino Cinema. This infringed upon the road-widening scheme and when citizens raised the alarm, the building had to be redesigned, said Mr deSouza.
Similarly, he said, in terms of another high-rise building which affected the same road-widening scheme, the builder had already constructed a couple of floors when, as a result of citizens’ action, the builder was directed to make sure that further construction did not encroach upon the road-widening area. The matter of the floors already constructed is currently being adjudicated upon in court, said Mr deSouza.
Citing a third example, he said that after a long trial, the court ordered the demolition of a portion of a high-rise building next to Clifton Bridge that was encroaching upon the road-widening area. According the Mr deSouza, Shehri had in vain lodged repeated protests with the director-general Military Lands and Cantonments, Rawalpindi, the director of Land Disposal Cell in the Quartermaster General Branch in Rawalpindi, the governor of Sindh, the provincial chief minister and the city government.
Despite Dawn’s efforts, the Karachi director of Military Lands and Cantonments, Banat Khan Masud, and Military Estate Officer Hamid Haroon could not be contacted.