Daily Times

KARACHI: The project office of Gujjar Nullah has been closed down due to a lack of funds and poor policies of revamping/rehabilitating the structure of Nullah after functioning for almost 10 years.

The project was initiated in 2007 on the direction of former Nazim Karachi, Mustafa Kamal. The local government and KMC were the co-partners in the project.

Millions of rupees had been wasted on the project during the last 10 years.

Gujjar Nullah Project, Director, Sulman Faridi said the office has now been handed over to the Engineering Department of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

He said during the 10 years survey of the site as well as land for the affectees were selected for their alternate housing.

Faridi claimed that he has been working as an honorary as due to his poor health he could not regularly attend office.

Later, the Sindh government on a plea for allocation of funds and appointing a consultant for the project showed its inability to cooperate with the KMC, the project director said.

The authorities concerned also failed to finalise the Project Cycle-1 for the said project in absence of any consultant, he further said.

Fareeduddin, the Deputy Commissioner Central while talking to Daily Times said under the supervision and collaboration with KMC we succeeded in clearing almost 99 percent of encroachment from the Nullah.

He said that 8,500 encroachers had been removed from the Nullah.

He further said that debris from both sides of the Nullah will be removed within next few days.

Fareeduddin said that construction of 20-feet-wide roads on either side of the Nullah would be initiated next month.

This is the first project of its kind in the country in which encroachers were not paid a single penny or a piece of land, he remarked.

However in light of Sindh High Court’s direction only 150 afffectees having leased documents would be compensated with land or funds, he informed.

The Gujjar Nullah is 33.5 kilometers long with one drainage channel. It is a natural drainage channel that starts from North Karachi and falls into Lyari River near Mureed Goth.

The Nullah’s width varies from 19 feet to 37 feet and passes through Godhra Camp, People Colony, Landi Kotal Chowrangi, Musa Colony, crossing Altaf Hussain Berailvi Road near Mureed Goth.