Daily Times

KARACHI: The recently discovered mega corruption in the Hawks Bay Scheme 42 of Lyari Development Authority (LDA) needs urgent attention of the watchdog bodies including Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB). It is necessary to check the corrupt elements sitting over billions of rupees of the allotttees of this scheme, who could not attain possession of their own plots, despite the passage of a long time.

Hawks Bay Scheme 42 comprises of 20700 acres of controlled area, and 11450 acres of the development area, whose physical possession was handed over by Board of Revenue (BOR) to KDA (defunct), back in December 1985. 11,450 acres of the Development Area (Deh Lal Bakhar & Deh Moach) includes 3,985 acres allocations of KMC, KPT, Central BOR, Villages, etc. The scheme was transferred from KDA (defunct) to LDA on 10-01-1996, by virtue of LDA Act-1993

So far both LDA & KDA (defunct) have planned approximately 54,000 residential plots of various sizes from 80 to 400 sq. yds. & allotted to the general public by open ballot from 1990 to 2008. After all these efforts, the scheme remained dormant for more than 15 years for want of resources. However, in 2008, the scheme was re-activated and LDA generated funds to restart the physical development after balloting of 9000 residential plots (240 & 400 Sq-yard).

The website of the LDA says that KDA planned the scheme comprising of 71-Blocks with residential plots of 80, 120, 240, 400 & 600 Sq-Yards beside commercial & amenity plots within the development area. It says 54,380 planned residential plots of various categories have been balloted to date except 600 Sq-Yard residential (to be auctioned), Commercial plots (to be auctioned) , and Amenity plots (to be disposed of as per policy), adding the scheme remained dormant over past several years for want of resources.

It says the LDA-generated funds to restart the physical development with the last balloting of 9000 residential plots in 2008 (240 & 400 Sq-yard). For Planning, Design & Supervision (development works) of Scheme 42, LDA hired the services of “Osmani & Company (Pvt.) Ltd.” as Technical Consultants in
May 2008.

The LDA claims that it has started work on war footing basis, and on a Need-based Development strategy has divided the scheme into 3 development zones: Central Development Zone, Eastern Development Zone, and Western Development Zone.

However, the pace of the development work in the Hawks Bay Scheme 42 is either zero or pathetically slow. Thousands of allottees who have already paid their instalments are still deprived of the possessing of their plots because the LDA has miserably failed to initiate required development work. The LDA is just earning hefty interest on the deposits of the allottees to foot the royal expenses of their bureaucracy and bosses, the majority of them blue-eyes boys of sitting provincial rulers and many allegedly appointed in these lucrative posts on the basis of their political loyalty to the rulers.

Many citizens think the Hawks Bay Scheme 42 is a big scam like the scam of Fishermen Cooperative Society and some links of notorious corruption kings and queens of Sindh, as well as, Lyari crime may be easily traced to it if a proper investigation is carried out. However, the allottees demand that the LDA should immediately start development activities in the Hawks Bay Scheme 42 and announce a cut-off date of handing over of the possession of plots to their genuine allottees.