Unplanned City
The Karachi
Strategic Development Plan (KSDP) 2020, which was prepared by the erstwhile
City District Government Karachi (CDGK) more than a decade ago, is about to
complete its assigned time period. In general, the key stakeholders are not
concerned about the approaching expiration of this document. In recent times,
however, many agencies and their heads are trying to find ways to save their
skin from the repeated directives of the Supreme Court that intends to adjust
Karachi according to a ‘plan.’
Interestingly,
Karachi was never short of plans! Several development plans were prepared for
the city before and after Partition. The British prepared the Mirams Plan in
1921, named after A. E. Mirams, a British surveyor who initiated it. The plan
organised the historic quarters of Karachi. Municipal services were extended to
these locations in a gradual manner. Col. Swayne Thomas, a British officer,
prepared a plan in 1946 to establish future growth directions of the city.
However, due to
partition of the subcontinent, the plan did not materialise. A Swedish firm,
MRV Associates, prepared the Greater Karachi Plan in 1951. The plan outlined a
location for accommodating capital functions for the city on the pattern of New
Delhi. As the capital was shifted out of Karachi, the plan became largely
ineffective, although some of the residential neighbourhoods proposed in this
plan were later developed in what is the present day North Nazimabad.
The Greater
Karachi Re-settlement Plan was prepared and implemented in 1958 to relocate the
poor and working classes to specially planned sub urban locations of
Landhi-Korangi and North Karachi. Two more comprehensive planning attempts
produced the Karachi Development Plans (KDP) of 1973-85 and 1986-2000.
According to
any technical standard, all of these plans were very sound initiatives. These
plans recognised the unique status of the city, firstly as a primate city of
the country and secondly as a mega city. It may also be pointed out that all
the previous plans had tried to generate an intensive data base set of sectoral
studies and analytical profiles. But these plans were never applied in letter
and spirit for several reasons. It may also be pointed out that the true
benefits of a viable planning mechanism cannot be achieved until some basic
pre-requisites are fulfilled.
The first and
foremost entity needed for Karachi is a legally and administratively autonomous
planning agency. This is not a new suggestion. It is one of the key
recommendations of KDP 1973-85. The exercise had also prepared a draft law for
the consideration of the provincial legislature, which did not pay any heed to
this important suggestion.
The need for
such an agency is vital due to many reasons. Karachi is divided into multiple
jurisdictions controlled by a jumble of local, provincial and federal agencies,
including the military authorities. The impact of development (or the lack of
it) in one locality has a direct bearing on the adjacent areas and even
further.
Similarly, the
responsibilities of infrastructure and services provision are divided between
several bodies. Despite this schism, the creation of a unified vision and
development plan remains paramount. A city plan can never see the light of
implementation if the planning agency is not administratively, technically and
financially potent.
This agency
also needs to possess sufficient clout to enforce its writ on all the
institutions and stakeholders on the basis of technical merit and
jurisdictional validity. In other words, the agency must act as a filter to
examine all the proposals of investment, project preparation and infrastructure
development. Eminent planners and urban affairs specialists have ratified the
importance of this proposed agency, but not much headway has been made.
A few years
ago, the Government of Sindh (GoS) assigned the task of city planning to the
Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). This was an inappropriate
administrative move, as SBCA is supposed to follow the prescriptions of the
planning agency. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has also stated its displeasure
at this arrangement and has asked the GoS to rectify the situation.
Karachi has
become a playground for all kinds of real estate investors. One reason for
attracting this highly dubious portfolio of investment is the unaccounted land
in the city. Every properly managed city possesses a land use strategy and a
corresponding plan for its implementation. The reason is simple. Land is a
finite social asset to be used in an extremely careful manner.
In the case of
Karachi, this universal corollary is grossly violated.
The government decision-makers and agencies are also partners in
crime. For example, precious suburban land along the Super Highway was
allocated to a super developer for a mega investment venture. Straddling
thousands of acres, a dubious real estate enterprise was created that attracted
billions of rupees in investment.
In what is
perhaps one of its kind judgements, the honourable Supreme Court allowed the
realtor to continue functioning after paying a certain amount of monetary fine.
Thousands of native tillers of soil, small-time livestock herders and orchard
managers have been elbowed out from lands that they possessed for many years.
One fails to
understand as to how any improvement in city management would be possible if
the land reserves are sold out. A basic but fundamental exercise that needs to
be done is to publicly announce land assets owned by various governmental
agencies. This will help infuse transparency in transactions, leading to proper
planning. It will also help to curb corruption by keeping a check on
clandestine deals and allotments.
Karachi faces a
grave crisis in respect of infrastructure provision, management and sustenance.
One finds many high-profile projects undergoing different phases of
implementation, but an impact is not found in holistic terms. The city is
lacking in basic services including water supply, sewerage, storm water drains,
public transport, electricity and social amenities. The common people are the
worst-affected class.
Good planning
practices are based upon careful evaluation and assessment of ongoing trends. A
sound planning framework aims to promote positive trends and control
the negative ones. There are many visible trends in Karachi that have a direct
bearing on urban life. Availability and investment of overseas capital into
real estate enterprises; commodification of land assets; declining capacity of
local government in fulfilling its mandated responsibilities; unchecked rise in
vehicle ownership without concern about vehicle-road space ratio;
inaccessibility of housing options for the poor, low- and middle-income groups;
systematic destruction of ecological assets; falling standards in solid waste
management, sewage and storm water disposal and a grant-dependent municipal
finance system are some examples. Until these (and other) trends are
professionally identified and examined for their intensity and impact, little
good can be expected from municipal affairs.
After the 18th
Constitutional Amendment, the local government has become overly dependent upon
provincial monetary allocations and transfers. The provincial government has
its own agenda, which it is able to promote, given the financial clout and
authority.
No municipal
administration worth the name can function if it does not possess the financial
capacity of self – generation of revenue. It is a complex domain but needs to
be addressed for the larger benefit of the city. The first and foremost is the
consolidation of existing taxes/levies. The local government institutions
possess the mandate of many levies, which are under-collected for various
reasons.
Let us look at
the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB). It has a relatively low rate of
collection of its water bills. Even many government departments do not settle
their water charges. The KWSB has been severely overburdened due to financial
constraints of sorts. A formula can be worked out to salvage the cash-strapped
utility. The next step should be to study the other taxations in the
jurisdiction of provincial and federal governments. Legal and administrative
options must be worked out to set up a pre-deposit formula for collection and
transference of funds to the local institutions. And finally, the regime should
also look towards new avenues of revenue generation.
Citizens suffer
due to the absence of proper service standards and confusing procedures.
Whether acquisition of a water connection or approval of building permits, the
written procedures are either grossly inadequate or not existent at all. Public
service counters and service booths must be opened to increase the scale of
service. The sectoral or area performance must be studied to devise new
systems. In order to improve the quality of life and increase the sphere of
services, such actions possess undeniable significance. If strong and capable
urban planning machinery is put in place, many of these issues will be
effectively addressed.
There is a
clear road map that may be devised and worked around. The Sindh Government
should be asked to promulgate the necessary urban and regional planning act
through the Sindh legislature without delay. The Supreme Court also desires
this. A planning agency may be created with appropriate mandate and technical
strength. This may take some time, but can only materialise when the first step
is taken.
City boundaries
may be drawn in order to determine accurate jurisdiction and service areas of
various utilities. And a land information system should be devised and made
publicly accessible to enable planners and other stakeholders to position
themselves for various technical and strategic steps.
Publish in News Line Magazine 16 September 2019