Lines area development
THROUGH your esteemed columns, I wish to invite prompt attention of Superior Courts, Federal and Sindh Government as well as readers of your columns towards a sick project of Lines Area Redevelopment and suggest remedy for putting the redevelopment scheme back on track.
Lines Area Redevelopment Project in its present form was established 40 years ago in 1981 as KDA scheme 35.
According to PC I, the duration of completion of the project was decided 5 years but now 40 years have lapsed but hardly one-third of the project could be implemented.
Among other causes of delay in the implementation of ‘scheme’ was the frequent ‘ban’ imposed by the provincial government and as a result thereof, the phase of redevelopment of the area and resettlement of inhabitants was interrupted time and again.
The incompetent administrative machinery borrowed from KDA was another reason of delay in completion of Lines Area Redevelopment Project (LARP).
Sindh government has failed to not only speed up the phase of implementation but also was not able to check ‘heavy corruption’ in the scheme. LARP administration has spoiled the objectives of the project.
LARP’s self finance project and ‘auctionable plots’ are the only source to meet the expenditure or redevelopment and resettlement.
KDA and LARP under the patronage of Sindh Government are continuously wasting the only source of income through corrupt practices for selfish material gains.
It is somewhat an irony of fate that the inhabitants and eligible claimants of alternate plots of land in lieu of their holdings are aguishly looking on the horizon for the Federal Government and ‘Superior Courts’ to come to their rescue and save them from complete ruination.
In these circumstances, I urge the Federal Government to take over LARP at the first instance without any further loss of time.
The Federal Government is legally entitled to take charge of LARP for obvious reasons.
The payment of Military Cantonment Land of Juttland Lines, Mahfooz Shaheed Lines and Tunisia Lines were made by the Federal Government itself amounting to Rs 30 million to Ministry of Defence in 1976 whereas the land of Jacob Lines, Central Jacob Lines and Behind Jacob Lines also belonged to the Ministry of Housing and Works of the Federal Government which were transferred to the provincial government for implementation of redevelopment and resettlement of Lines Area.
According to the approved PC I, the duration of 5 years time period of the completion of the project by Sindh Government passed 35 years ago.
Thus, Sindh Government has no moral or legal authority to keep the control of LARP for future adventures.
The entire localities of Lines Area were actually maintained by the Federal Government before handing over the area to provincial government and therefore, by virtue of vast knowledge, experience and resources of handling Lines Area, Federal Government is capable to implement and complete LARP without delay.
The Lines Area is situated in the downtown and its redevelopment like its infrastructure is highly important for the improvement of environment of the City of Quaid.
—The writer is contributing columnist based in Karachi.
