Lay of land

The Friday Times ISSUE | May 03-09, 2013

There is a vast stretch of land on the far side of the Karachi fish harbor channel that has historically been used for boat building, boat repairing and had a fueling station.

Because of a lack of infrastructure, this area was called Kala Pani. Just short of Kala Pani, a Chota Gate led to what is now called Machher Colony.

Years ago, the government allocated a plot in that area to set up a seafood processing plant. The fisheries authorities first sold the nearby plots for cheap to their favorites, and then some rogue groups began to occupy other plots in the neighborhood. None of this land was sold publicly, for fair value.

Now the Karachi Fish Harbor Authority, in concert with its absentee allottees, is battling against the land mafia, who is unwilling to surrender the possession of that land.

The best resolution to this problem is for the KFHA to cancel all previous allotments and sell the land through public auctions. At the same time, a major cleanup operation should be carried out to throw out the illegal occupants. That is the only way a fair amount of money will go into the national exchequer.

Mazhar Butt