Every city is planned in certain way keeping in mind its needs, requirements, atmosphere population etc. proper water, sewerage, electricity system with educational and recreational facilities are core of any cities development. And for these purpose the building control authorities or other concerned authorities design a theme master plan in which land is distributed according to the requirements.
Karachi is a metropolitan city with approx area 3, 500 km2 and population over 18,000,000, full of life and in books known as the ‘city of lights’. But now these lights seems diminishing and black shades of different Mafias are now hovering over Karachi, one of which them is land Mafia.
Land Mafia of Karachi is a criminal society includes members from different fields noticeably from its kith and kin Drug Mafia, Transport Mafia and terrorism and many of them are also involved in the National politics. They start encroaching it slowly like if there is an un attended empty plot of land they will first start using it for low purposes such as transport parking or will build shelters for poor people so they could get hold of the land and then when they will get full hold of it they eradicate those poor from their and then use it for their commercial or vice versa purpose. Even in Karachi there are colonies of colonies, apartments, hotels are present over these lands, moreover dangerous part is these lands are also used to building base for further illegal acts and kith and kin societies such as drug mafia etc. Their hold in Karachi is that strong that no government dares to take action against them and even if someone dares to do so they with their full power gave Karachi a bloodguilt bath , January and March 2009 deadly riots are some small and recent examples of this.
Let’s just have a Birdseye view of Karachi and see how, where and by whom this Mafia is being operated in Karachi.
Pictures below just gives a brief idea about one of the many factions of land mafia which includes those big areas which are illegally encroached and are now portrayed as residential areas, other factions of this mafia which are present In between the legalized lands in the form land grabbers, Illegal land holders, wanders, encroachments across the side of roads etc. But from these pictures you can have an idea about how worse the situation is over the ground, and if only these big calculations are covering that big part of Karachi then if we also calculate other illegal land encroachments then how much is Karachi is now being grabbed and encroached by this Mafia?
This mostly grabs the land close the drain river (which cause narrowing down of these drains and emerging of a chaos during rain or high tights seasons) or lands allotted by the government for parks, schools and other civil and recreational facilities so harming the city in indirect way also by grabbing the basic facilities from the legal residents of the city.
How to Identify Encroached Lands?
As Mentioned above when respected authorities designs or plans and area they keep the basic necessities of the city in mind such as straight roads, house lanes etc.
In contrary when these mafia encroaches land they just build what they need over whatever they got so an absence of proper building plan. In pictures below Illegal Encroachments can be easily identified by observing the irregularities in development structures, such as roads, lanes. Compare the red marked areas with the neighboring green marked areas to understand the difference.
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Click the Image for Enlarge view
Save Karachi From Being Grabbed!
