Roof of dignity

IN a recent move, the Sindh cabinet approved Rs10.065 billion to resettle all those uprooted along Gujjar, Orangi and Mahmoodabad nullahs. The various demolition drives conducted in recent times razed thousands of houses, rendering scores homeless. The matter landed in the Supreme Court; specific directives were issued to the provincial government in the judgement on Oct 25, 2021, as well as other rulings. These verdicts lay down the concept and procedure of developing a resettlement scheme. Based on the submission of its reports, the Sindh government was directed by the apex court to provide land and essential infrastructure to the affected at the earliest.
A robust campaign was launched by the Karachi BachaoTehreek, which demanded housing for demolition-affected people. Apart from those left to suffer along the three nullahs, many others still need a proper response, such as the victims of the anti-encroachment drive for the Karachi Circular Railway who are still running from pillar to post for some relief. Besides, the listing and verification process of the nullah affectees has been questioned by residents and community leaders in the neighbourhoods; it was argued that only bulldozed houses were counted, not the households that lived in them as many structures were home to two or three families. This may trigger numerous conflicts when the construction work begins.
Additionally, other concerns must be addressed with a focus on lessons learnt from previous resettlement endeavours. For instance, despite transportation and housing experts highlighting the enormous number of houses and households earmarked for demolition and displacement in the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project — a joint initiative of the federal and provincial governments — the authorities went ahead thoughtlessly. Over a quarter of a million were displaced.
The now defunct City District Government Karachi announced the allocation of plots measuring 80 square yards with Rs50,000 for every household. Four sites were allotted in Taiser Town, Hawkesbay and Baldia Town and an estimate of 14,811 plots was provided. But the affectees, claiming that their numbers were far greater, approached the court. In the end, the government provided 30,743 plots on 1,234 acres of land. The overall cost of the rehabilitation project rose significantly. It is, therefore, important that utmost care is taken by the authorities during reviews of the actual affectees’ records. Political interference and influence have to be thwarted for transparent allocation of land to the affected.
Moreover, construction requires comprehensive urban planning and design input. The authorities would do well to remember that a physical plan includes road layouts, right of way for buried infrastructure, neighbourhood parks and playgrounds, commercial areas, educational and healthcare spaces. An urban design exercise to accommodate mixed-use development is also considered necessary.
At present, Taiser Town is a sparsely populated area with low-density, low-rise development. In 20 years, this locality will be under pressure to lodge more residents, resulting in haphazard densification. This should be tackled in due course with a larger plan comprising reserved areas for medium- and high-density developments for the locality.
In sum, without a forward-looking and technically sound urban design scheme, an isolated resettlement project cannot deliver appropriate living and working conditions for residents and visitors. Another crucial aspect is the availability of social support; eviction af­­fectees are traumatised and need counselling so that they can connect with the housing scheme and become active participants in the decision-making process.
There should be more organisations such as Saibaan to mobilise communities and Khuda ki Bastis in Karachi and other cities must be remembered as model blueprints that can be replicated. The welfare association enabled low-income groups to formulate infrastructural choices and arranged for affordable technical assistance with donations.
While road infrastructure and water supply are vital, settlers will be dependent on water tankers and informal paratransit mobility in the initial years. The average person now uses rickshaws and employed youth, as riders, service providers and small-scale entrepreneurs, have motorcycles. All the government needs to do is develop roads to link settlements to the city as connectivity alleviates the need for off-grid electricity and LPG gas depots. A technically viable, socially compatible and administratively accommodating approach towards vital development initiatives carves out comprehensive templates, which can be implemented across the country for many years to come.
The writer is an academic and researcher based in Karachi.
Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024