Cosmopolitan Megalopolis turned into a Shanty Town

Karachi was once the capital of Pakistan, when the country was established as an independent country in 1947. Karachi was developed as per the master plan of 1957 and it rose to be one of the largest city developments in the last half of previous century. The cosmopolitan city Karachi is now a Shanty Town. This write is an opinion based on observations made by writer during a visit earlier this year.

 

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Cosmopolitan Megalopolis turned into a Shanty Town

 

Karachi was once the capital of Pakistan, when the country was established as an independent country in 1947 and continued to be till 1960 and is the capital of the province Sindh. The city was developed under the organization called KDA (Karachi Development Authority), which was established in 1957. KDA was responsible for Water Supply System of Karachi and Building Control Management but after establishment of Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and Sindh Building Control Authority the KDA is now responsible for the functions as Planning, Coordination and rendering Planning advice, Land Development, Housing, Roads & Bridges and more. Karachi Building Control Authority was renamed as Sindh Building Control Authority on 14th Feb 2011 and jurisdiction was spread over the entire province.

 

Karachi was developed as per the master plan of 1957 and it rose to be one of the largest city developments in the last half of previous century. Anyone who might have landed from any other part of the country except Islamabad must have noticed that Karachi was being developed under a master plan and city was a Megalopolis for obvious reasons. The Megalopolis was the only port city of the country and in fact for neighboring land lock country Afghanistan also. This city thus became the biggest revenue generator and most populous city of Pakistan. It is also the largest industrial city as well.

 

The city, Karachi employed millions of Pakistanis and provided hope for honest and earnest place of livelihood to all hard working citizens of the country. The jobless millions thronged the Megalopolis in quest for making both ends meet and they were well accommodated as well. However, the Megalopolis Karachi saw the turf war during the last and first decades of the last and current century between political claimants and law and order remained a big problem of the city. Despite the failure of the peaceful administration and governance, the city master plan was not battered and destroyed. The only place that appeared to be out of plan development was Lyari area which was also the den of rogue elements.  

 

One has lived in the city of Karachi for more than two decades from mid of 1980s till 2008; just the days of the death of BB-Benazir Bhutto and again spent a week time earlier this month for attending a marriage in the erstwhile city of lights and now a demonized Megalopolis. One can't say about the all parts of city as had only travelled between Karachi Airport through Sharah e Faisal till Kemari Area but can say after visiting areas of Shah Faisal colony, Defense and Clifton that posh areas of Karachi are now a mega Shanty Towns. How can a country with only ONE worth a port will manage the port areas as was seen from Native Jetty till Kemari Jetty?

 

It appeared that port areas were being managed by Morons or Darwin's homo sapiens evolved recently (One spent years in that area). The Clifton areas including the 70 Clifton and Bilawal House were delightful posh living residential areas. The whole dwellings are now more of Lyari of the past. Hanging ZAB and BB posters, banners and walk chalking could never be the political bargain; so probably the same has been done to remind the citizens about the “demon spirits" watching them closely. Such tactics were once the hallmark of MQM's supreme Altaf Hussain and the same were no more visible. Every devil's days are not forever and so the Bhai's evil eyes are no more visible in those areas.

 

The country as a whole is suffering from Rural Development bargains as a jungles of concrete plazas and icons are being erected at all the places; however, Megalopolis Karachi is actually suffering from some worst hands of wheeling's and dealings. The news about Nasla Tower (نسلہ ٹاور); a seventeen storey building located on Shahra-e-Faisal flooded the market in 2021, but one saw many such buildings in various areas and those could not have been raised without flouting or changing the master plans of Karachi. Again some moronic architectural genius might have come with those ideas for even more moronic owners / builders. Our geniuses present designs and build such "iconic" structures for homo sapiens who might not need to travel on roads and live a humane lives.

 

The city of Karachi, which was once a city of lights and produced luminaries and stalwarts in scores who shone on the national and global stage, has now turned in to a shanty town, where millions suffer on the roads and streets on daily basis and all the higher humans seated at helms of affairs are setting elite standards of administration and governance for unique way of disaster without a storm. The city, Karachi, and the province Sindh is under the rule of BB's husband AAZ; who is in power since the famous harangue " Pakistan Khapay" (پاکستان کھپے) and the baby BBZ is nothing but a poster boy of dead man sprit zinda ZAB.

 

ZAB and BB's PPP is in powers un-interruptedly since March 2008 and it is nothing but a perpetual rule of gangs of looters and plunderers. The soul of the city is simply under demonized evil spirits hanging everywhere and message is very clear “Save Your Soul". The demon's eye is watching every helpless soul and evil spirits are chasing every person walking or travelling through the city in all nook and corner of the Megalopolis. The cosmopolitan city Karachi is now a Shanty Town where every individual is living under a scare of unknown. The people may live in costly houses but in effect they are living in squatter areas of squatter settlements best described as settlement of improvised buildings facilitating no civic sense of a metropolis. It appears that KDA and other similar organizations are just for stamping wills and whims of ghost riders and rulers.