Corruption allegations cloud Lyari resettlement plan

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau has begun an inquiry into alleged corruption involving millions of rupees in the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project, a scheme launched to rehabilitate families displaced by construction of the Lyari Expressway.

According to a public notice issued by NAB Karachi, the inquiry found that property dealers, allegedly acting in collusion with officials linked to the resettlement project, sold hundreds of plots to people who were not entitled to them. The plots had originally been allotted in the names of affectees, and the notice said this also included land reserved for welfare purposes.

Illegal trade in plots continued in resettlement areas along the Lyari Expressway, particularly in Hawke's Bay and Taiser Town, despite official restrictions. During that period, several groups emerged under the label of property banks, collecting money from citizens and issuing plot files to them.

Many of the original affectees were from low-income backgrounds, and their plots were transferred to others. Lengthy delays in the allotment process caused severe financial and psychological hardship to many families waiting for possession.

Resettlement background

The Lyari Expressway project was launched in the early 2000s to ease Karachi's traffic congestion. Its construction led to the demolition of thousands of homes along the Lyari River, affecting an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 families.

To resettle those displaced, the Sindh government started the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project, under which affected families were given 80-square-yard residential plots in outlying areas along with limited financial support. Hawke's Bay and Taiser Town were selected for relocation, and residents were promised basic civic facilities.

However, the resettlement areas continued to face shortages of essential services over a long period, including water, electricity, sewerage, education and healthcare. These conditions compelled many families to sell their plots.

Conditions in Musharraf Colony

The largest number of affectees was settled in Musharraf Colony in Hawke's Bay, spread across several sectors in three blocks, where thousands of residents now live. More than half of the current population there does not consist of original affectees.

Resident Asad Ali said most of the initial allottees had sold their plots. He said that although all plots in Musharraf Colony measured 80 square yards, some people bought two or three plots and built larger homes.

"Although all plots in Musharraf Colony were 80 square yards, many individuals purchased two to three plots and constructed larger houses. Drinking water is only available in Sector 6 of the entire colony"

The report also cited experts as saying that weak record-keeping, lack of transparency and poor monitoring of the allotment process were key factors behind the alleged fraud and irregularities in the scheme. The matter had raised wider concerns about urban planning and the consequences of weak oversight in large public development projects.

Community worker Gul Muhammad Baloch said similar conditions could be seen in many government housing schemes in Sindh. The Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government had also established Benazir Town in the Hawke's Bay area for families of martyred party workers, but for various reasons no family had yet built a house there.

It contacted Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project Director Engineer Samad Jamalani for comment, but no response was received.