Slums or katchi abadis are a response to the dysfunctional urban planning of our government and policy makers who often put the low income group at the bottom of their priority list.
Slums or katchi abadis are a response to the dysfunctional urban planning of our government and policy makers who often put the low income group at the bottom of their priority list. Karachi being the largest city of the country, where thousands immigrate every month to make a living, houses the highest amount of urban-slum dwellers.
In 1984, there were 483 karchi abadis in Karachi; at present, the number has escalated to 4,700. One of these 4,700 slums is Punjab Colony. Located between the Old Sunset Boulevard and Gizri Road, it comes under the jurisdiction of the Clifton Cantonment Board.
The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) is all set to introduce a model project for Punjab Colony, and talks are underway with the CBC as well as the residents’ and stakeholders of the Punjab Colony, said ABAD Chairman Hanif Gohar, while talking to Money Matters.
He said that the Cantonment Board has already conducted a survey in this regard and held a meeting with ABAD.
The chairman said that we have offered to build 1,072 houses, which are mentioned in the CBC survey of Punjab Colony, and also build public amenities in the vicinity, including hospital, schools, and parks and play ground. Other than this ABAD has also offered a 10-year insurance policy for the residents. The project will be completed in four phases.
“We have submitted a similar proposal to the Sindh government to turn slums of Karachi into proper housing schemes with better infrastructure and amenities. However the Sindh government has not responded to the proposal yet,” Gohar said.
Increasingly, many of the katchi abadis have been regularised by the authorities. However, the living conditions in the various katchi abadis remain poor even after regularisation due to lack of basic civic infrastructure. Low quality of housing and cramped living conditions is the tale of the majority of these settlements. The problems are particularly pronounced for the urban poor as they suffer to a great degree because of over eroding and deprivation in infrastructure and services.
The lack of proper low cost housing schemes is turning Karachi city into a slum. ABAD chairman said that Karachi, one of the mega cities of Pakistan, lacks some of the basics infrastructures. The first and the most important issue in Karachi is the lack of urban planning. A spread out city like Karachi demands effective urban planning for development on modern lines.
Due to lack of planning, there continues to be unchecked growth of squatter settlements - katchi abadis in this mega city. These encroachments on state and private vacant land are a direct result of the housing problem.
Moreover, the city suffers from excessive issues of water supply, sanitation and sewerage system, garbage collection, and inadequate utility facilities. These composite civic problems have forced a majority of the population of this city to live a sub-human life.
It’s not just in Karachi though – the issue is now rearing its head in all major cities of the country. It has been accompanied by other problems, including an increase in the crime rate and the large scale power and water theft – as well as turning such settlements into safe havens for criminals and militants. If these slums are developed with the help of public and private partnership things will change.
So far the government’s role in tackling this issue has been limited; it’s only the private sector which seems to be active in developing new housing schemes.
The population boom in Karachi – as well as around the country – means the time is not far when the housing issue will be as big a problem as the energy crisis.
Speaking of the government’s 0.5 million low cost housing scheme for the low income group, the ABAD chairman said the present government has failed to announce the scheme officially so far. A steering committee was made for the project, and various stakeholders, including ABAD were assigned different tasks. The committees accomplished their tasks, and following the groundwork a feasibility report was also prepared back in 2013. However, the government has yet not announced the project. This delay in such schemes is also responsible for further increase in encroachments.
There is a shortage of a minimum 10 million houses in the country, the ABAD chairman added, while urging the government to increase its effort to formulate the right policies, encouraging mortgage finance at low and affordable rates. “There is dire need to develop and expand affordable modern housing societies in Karachi.”
Goihar said, “In order to provide momentum to construction of low cost housing units, the finance option must be made available on low markup. In addition to this, the government should also provide compensation for construction of low cost housing.”
He added that the ratio of mortgage finance to GDP is the lowest in Pakistan which is just 0.66 percent.
The financial institutions should be encouraged to issue loans on a markup, which is less than the market rates. Steps should be taken to increase the mortgage to GDP ratio to five percent. It should be made mandatory for commercial banks and financial institutions to reserve a minimum of five percent of their portfolio for housing finance.
On the question of law and order, Hanif Gohar said that since Karachi operation the real estate sector is once again booming. A major part of the city has improved and over 100 projects have been launched and those that were shelved have started again as well. Each of these project cost is more than two to three billion rupees, the chairman of the builders and developers association added.
Speaking of the hike in the prices of property, the ABAD chairman said that it has increase by almost thirty five percent in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e- Johar, North Karachi, Sarjani Town, Scheme 33 and adjacent areas.
An increase of 100 percent has been witnessed in the properties on Jinnah Avenue. Previously the rate per square yard was rupees fifteen thousand to rupees eighteen thousand, however now the price has escalated to rupees thirty five thousands to rupees forty thousand per square yard.
The writer is a staff member
