KARACHI, Jan 28: The City Council adopted on Monday a resolution allowing the construction of a five-star hotel on a piece of land earlier reserved for the offices of the defunct district council amid a walkout by opposition members.

The land in question is near the Expo Centre and the National Stadium in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town.

Criticising the resolution tabled by the treasury benches, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Saeed Ghani of the Awam Dost panel argued that the council was not empowered to adopt such a resolution as the proposed land was an amenity plot and the house could not change the status of the land under the relevant clauses of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance.

Describing the resolution as a sheer violation of a Supreme Court judgment regarding the use of amenity plots, opposition members urged the convener of the house to withdraw it. They were of the view that such decisions would set an unending trend of commercialisation of amenity plots.

Mr Ghani said that he was unable to comprehend the urgency being displayed in the tabling of this resolution bypassing those resolutions which were on the top of the agenda. A heated debate took place over the resolution in the house presided over by Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil.

However, the opposition’s arguments failed to convince the treasury members led by Asif Siddiqui, leader of the Haq Parast panel, who defended the resolution by terming this action “in the larger interest of the city”.

Pleading that the council has the right to change the status of a piece of land in the public interest, they said that currently the proposed site was vacant and without any civic facilities.

At the same time, the treasury conceded that the plot was earlier reserved for the construction of the offices of the defunct district council.

They were of the view that the location of the plot was ideal for the construction of a five-star hotel because it would facilitate foreign visitors and help solve their accommodation problems.

The treasury members maintained that a new urban centre would emerge in the areas surrounding the hotel with all the civic amenities, which would also help create new employment opportunities.

The treasury members who took part in the debate included Masood Mehmood, Abdul Jalil, Saeed Waqar Husain, S. Mohin and Mirza Iftikhar Beg.

Setting aside the arguments of the opposition, the convener of the house put the resolution to the vote, which prompted a walkout by the opposition members who raised slogans against the proposed project. The opposition pointed out that they would in no way take part in the proceedings allowing the conversion of an amenity plot into a commercial one.

Later, in the absence of the opposition, the house unanimously passed the resolution which reads: “This City Council of Karachi District Government approves change in use of land on plot number ST-5 measuring 1,830 acres situated Block-14, Scheme 24, Gulshan–i-Iqbal, Karachi.”

The house also adopted two other resolutions without the opposition members. One of the resolutions pertained to a 50 per cent cut in the rents of the CDGK’s markets, shopping centres, shops and offices, while the other related with the extension of Hyder Ali Road up to Shah Ahmed Road and cancellation of land use from Jail Chowrangi up to Hyder Ali Road along Shaheed Millat Road.

UC funds

Earlier, the city government came under fire for not solving the issues facing the masses and paying more attention to mega projects.

A number of opposition members drew the attention of the convener to various civic issues particularly water and sewerage problems being faced by their respective constituencies, saying that despite the fact that the financial year was approaching its end, funds for opposition union councils were yet to be released.

The debate was initiated by Ramzan Awan, a leader of the Al-Khidmat Group. He alleged that nearly 70 per cent of the UC funds remained unutilised as delaying tactics were being adopted for the issuance of payments to the contractors. The contention of Mr Awan was also supported by other opposition members.

A UC nazim from Lyari, Ibrahim Mughal, complained that around two years ago he had submitted to the convener of the house an application regarding the construction of an overhead bridge near the ICI roundabout on Mauripur Road but received no response in this regard.

Opposition members who took part in the debate included Sheikh Mehbubur Rehman advocate, Abdul Razak, Yaqub and Islamuddin.

The convener assured the house that all possible steps would be taken to address these issues and adjourned the session for Tuesday.