- Right way to go about it?
Encroachment of land or property is illegal, and that is perhaps all one needs to know about the matter. It inhibits the actual owner from using this capital as they wish, to earn on this capital. In most cases, government-owned land is usually the victim of mass-encroachment from small-scale businesses and dwellings.
In Pakistan, encroachments are ubiquitous and pose a number of challenges that go on to exhibit the dismal socio-economic fabric of the society and too few opportunities. At the core of this are two problems; Pakistan is a poor country with minimum wage rate is PKR 1,5000 (or USD 111.45) per month, and that the land prices have gone up significantly in the last few years, making it all the more difficult for people to purchase land on their own. The unavailability of a sound financing systems further contributes to this problem. But this issue has to do a lot with governance as well. For more than five decades, no sound policy has been enacted against the encroachers. Raids against the 24 slums in capital during the last four years were an important move. The efficacy of such will be dealt later in the article.
Images of uprooted homes in these slums, with government and machinery showing little or no mercy is what got the government at the center of much criticism – which translated into it being against the people; not populist enough. Four years later, the same people have voted for a more populist-leftist leader, and the result is the demolition of parts of Empress Market and the significance it carries for employing thousands of people, and catering to the everyday needs of thousands more.
This demolition of illegal holdings has affected the businesses that had been operating for over five decades, and not just these but associated businesses of suppliers and cleaners have been affected as well. Some even believe that a strong link to historical past has also been lost. The Empress Market was constructed in 1889, and named after Queen Victoria, the Empress of India. It is considered the first market constructed in the region and resembles many more in Europe in terms of its architecture and purpose; to sell fresh produce. However, over the years has been plagued by pollution, traffic mayhem and overcrowding – much like the rest of the city.
Karachi is a city that has for long been considered the land of opportunity for anyone and everyone who wants to be someone. Much like the American Dream, the port city has provided multitudes of opportunities for people who form the multi-cultural-ethnic fabric of this metropolis. Decades of settlements have given Karachi the unique flavour and culture it is known for. The many bazaars are centers of unique products, from all over the country, and the relatively cheaper prices have enabled a lot more people to take up residence here.
In Pakistan, encroachments are ubiquitous and pose a number of challenges that go on to exhibit the dismal socio-economic fabric of the society
But where living has been made easy for the greatest number of people, getting around the law has also become the norm. Therefore, lawlessness has also become synonymous with this sin city. Perhaps this is the reason why encroachments had become so normal and unchecked for well over 50 years. For so long that people had forgotten they were in fact encroaching government property. To say that the government took the right action, as under the law, wouldn’t be so wrong. However, it shouldn’t have been done this way.
The usual procedures involve issuance of warnings, and action is only undertaken after a certain amount of time has passed and the settlements haven’t been moved. Even then, the government is required to resettle these people. In a similar fashion, illegal dwellings all around Karachi have become a choking problem. Choking because shacks alongside three main open drains of the city have made it impossible for sewerage to be dumped properly. Make-shift houses and shops along the railway tracks are inhibiting progress on the construction of Karachi Circular Railways project. For this, the government not only needs funds for the construction, but removal and subsequent resettlement of these people. This then poses a challenge for the government, to find land cheap enough that it can carry out these resettlements easily.
This would perhaps be the humane thing to do any way. But in a country with billions of dollars in debt, precarious nature of public finance, and little to no resources of financing, demolition is the first and last step. The street hawkers, daily wagers who’d been informally employed into the Empress Market have no means of getting back their employment. Not any time soon, anyway. This means that a place known for its diverse culture and buzzing activity has completely died down.
This is also against the populist rhetoric for which Prime Minister Imran Khan won his election. But assurances from the government paint a rather different picture, one which ensures rights of Pakistanis, especially at the bottom of the income bracket. To be in line with this, the government needs to do much more than exhibiting its plans for the market. It needs to provide avenues for these small businesses, in a way that could be made sustainable for the economy. Provision of easily available loans and lease agreements are all viable options that can be availed if the government actually develops an appetite for this.
At present, all cities except the capital have expanded because of settlements, and it’s about time the city planners are consulted, cities demarcated, and perhaps more opportunities created in other cities.
