Daily Times

KARACHI: The building project of ten garbage transfer stations (GTS) by the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) is likely to face years-long delay as all proposed sites are either under litigation, encroached upon or under rights of land possession among government authorities and civic bodies, officials of SSWMB have revealed.

SSWMB Managing Director Athar Das Sajnani during his meeting with the Sindh chief secretary (CS) had admitted that garbage disposal in Karachi was such a massive challenge that according to ecological reports, the city would almost be unlivable by 2050.

Even the custodians of land in parts of Karachi remain hapless for restoration of their respective piece of lands from land grabbers or have been failed to satisfy courts for rightness over land against petitioners.

“A petitioner has got a stay order from the court on a proposed site for GTS in Dhobi Ghat, Karachi South, and he had prayed the court that after lifting of the ban on allotment of land he would pay the required government taxes on the said land,” Sajnani had revealed.

He said a private party had encroached upon the GTS land in Qasba Colony, DMC West and there was no possibility in near future to erect boundary wall, but he claimed measures were being taken to resolve the issue with civic administration concerned.

Sajnani said that the GTS site at Mewa Shah near Gutter Baghicha had also been under possession of a private party, which was claiming that court had already given its verdict in its favour and the case was still lying with the court for further proceeding.

He said that the Local Government Department secretary and advocate general had been requested to intervene in the matter.

GTS site Baldia Town in DMC West is also under dispute and land grabbers have turned some portion of land into a graveyard, claiming that they have rights for the purpose, Sajnani lamented.

“Around 11.47 acres, Sector 52 in Korangi Town Karachi had also been taken over by a powerful authority, while the Karachi Development Authority had claimed that land in question was handed over to SSWMB for the purpose.”

The chief secretary has been requested to help out and talk to concerned head of the authority, Sajnani added. He said that a joint team of the Board of Revenue (BoR), SSWMB, KDA and officials of the Karachi Commissioner’s Office would conduct a resurvey of 4.13 acres in Sector-26 Korangi Industrial Area on Mehran Highway as the BoR was claimant as the owner of the land.

“Five acres from non-class on Sohrab Goth has been grabbed by a builder, Jannat Gul and his team has stopped building of the boundary wall, which was being carried out by the SSWMB.” However, Sajnani said that the commissioner had assured the SSWMB of an early restoration of the land with the help of security agencies and department concerned.

Nevertheless, he said that 10.14 acres in sector 12-B, Korangi Industrial area Sharafi Goth had been restored from land mafia and around 90 percent work on boundary wall had been completed.

“The BoR has allotted land for GTS in Hawks-Bay District West, while the SSWMB had requested the BoR, KDA and KMC for new allotment of land for GTSs in their respective lands’ domain,” he added

Karachi Additional Commissioner Farhan Ghani had also admitted that restoration of land for the proposed sited would be a time consuming practice, besides land claim cases lying with the courts was also a time taking procedure.

He said that his office had started work on this task on the directives of the chief secretary and had taken all relevant departments on board to resolve the issue.

During a recently held meeting with the CS Sindh, the SSWMB had highlighted the importance, exigency and urgency of the matter and early completion of GTS at ten sites.

The entity had also requested the chief secretary to extend help in this regard as the gravity of existing garbage dump spread all over city had been resulting in adverse impacts in terms of social and hygienic hazards.

Published in Daily Times, November 8^th 2017.