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calling A few years ago when one would reach the old Clifton, even from some kilometers away, one could catch a glimpse of the strident waves splashing forcefully on the sea shore. You could even easily hear the sound of the waves breaking. It was musical enough to make one rush to the shore. Today however, even after reaching to the McDonald's at the beach, one doesn't see the fascinating performance of the whirling waves. The recently built restaurants and the stone embankments get in the way. The beach as we knew it has changed. Development has ensured that. city For inhabitants of Hyderabad, summer season is marked with water shortages. Subsequently citizens turn to protest against the authorities for negligence they show letting water tanks dry. As a result, everyone suffers. The authorities concerned, that is the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), always have a ready excuse. They attribute this crisis to the disparity between demand and supply. This tired drum continues to be beaten. No one pays attention to the core problem: the lack of advance planning to do away with the difficulty. The way we
were Back in the early 1980s, in the days when I was still relatively new to the profession of journalism, I came across a headline in a Karachi evening newspaper that said a UTP had escaped. Leaping lizards! What on earth was a UTP, I wondered. Reading on, I discovered that the UTP in question was an "under trial prisoner" who had escaped from police custody from the premises of the Malir courts. One lives and learns, I thought, though I have to admit that if the story in the paper hadn't said so, I would never have guessed what UTP stood for. karachicharacter Winston Churchill rightly said: "An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity and a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity." 26-year-old Irfan belongs to the former category, being one of those rare people for whom challenges are stepping stones; people who struggle to break away from the shackles of convention and fulfill their cherished dreams. Tall and dark with a surprisingly shy demeanour, Irfan narrates his journey to Kolachi - from a 16 year old poverty stricken lad in Mirpurkhas to an accomplished and educated artisan in the city of lights where he found a home. city calling What people say about Sea View's development NGOs have long been fighting against DHA's plan to develop beaches in Karachi saying that this would deprive the poor from their living and inexpensive entertainment. Kolachi speaks to the people this development would directly affect. So on to the photographer who makes his living on Sea View, the gol guppay wala and the men who give us horse and camel rides when we go there... By Sabeen Jamil A few years ago when one
would reach the old Clifton, even from some kilometers away, This doesn't end here. The
future of Sea View, as Clifton beach is popularly known will probably be a
600 ft high 'Monumental Tower' and an amphitheatre built on a 48 acre area
between MacDonald's and Kinara restaurant. Chances are that this would rob
Karachiites of one of the only sights to see in this concrete jungle
satisfies their aesthetic sense. With development comes private enterprise
and this is notorious for being the domain of th Building up such recreational sites on this stretch is only a small part of an extensive development project launched by Defense Housing Authorities (DHA). The project named as 'Crescent Bay' aims at developing and beautifying the 14-kilometre Karachi beach starting from the old Casino to the Golf Course in Gizri Creek. The plan divides the coastline into seven distinct zones and envisages high-rise commercial building complexes, hyper marts, food courts, cinema, amusement park, five-star hotel, an underwater world with a Dolphin Park and aquarium, amphitheatre complex with a capacity of 6,000 people and water sports facilities. The plan also includes a 600-feet Monumental Tower, with a revolving restaurant and observatory deck. Besides this, a Water Park with water sports, rides, swimming zones and a wave island is planned on 11 acres of land. It sounds fantastic but realistically speaking, the use of such facilities all over the world comes at a ticket price. And we live in a country where even a 10 rupee plate of chana chaat is too expensive for most people. The DHA's development plan
has generated mixed responses among the different factions of "It appears that the elite will occupy the entire sea front and the common man will be denied access to the death," reads a statement issued by a coalition of some prominent citizens against this development, including Arif Hasan, Chairman Urban Resource Center (URC), and Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid. On the other hand, DHA authorities have given the assurance that the developed beaches would be free for all. However, opponents believe that once the development is over the poor and the middle class wouldn't be allowed free access to that area. The perceived victims-to-be of the development are however less afraid and it seems that this stems form them being ignorant about the possible hidden implications of this development project. Most of the people on the Clifton beach that Kolachi spoke to were oblivious of any Monumental Tower to be built in here and were convinced that no such development can ever be made to this part of the beach. Jamaan Khan, 22, is a
horseman who is working at the beach for the past 10 years. He thinks that
development on the beach as impossible. He has heard of development at the
beach through a group of people who were chanting slogans like "Sahil
hamara hai" (the beach is ours) and "Sahil bachao" (Save the
sea). Jamaan mocks the people who think "Who can restrict us from coming here?" he asks arrogantly. Spending 10 years by the sea has made him believe that the beach will always remain the same. "Let people talk about development," he says " I am telling you these are just rumours and nothing concrete will be done. Even if it happens I won't be suffering but benefiting." Jamaan rests easy in the knowledge that horse riding is much loved by people regardless of their financial background. Hamid Ahmed, 37, however is not that unconvinced about development. For the past 15 years, he comes to the beach everyday after mid-day and sets his rerhi (stall with wheels) to sell gol gappas. His gol guppas are so yummy, he claims, that he doesn't even need to play the cliched 'Gol Guppay Wala Aya' song to attract people. Hamid sells his gol guppas for 10 rupees a plate from midday till one o'clock at night and earns up to 250 rupees which is "enough for the family of four," he tells Kolachi. Hamid whose majority clientele comprise of the working class doesn't earn much but is content with whatever he earns. as "it is more than what I would have been earning selling my gol guppas in streets instead." The contentment however is instantly replaced with anxiety when he is told about DHA's plans of developing the beach. He doesn't know about DHA's development project and innocently tells Kolachi that he just knows the rerhi wala and the papar wala here and he has never heard of DHA. However he is well aware of what a 'tower' is and how much can a huge tower and a recreational place for the "rich" at the beach can cost him. "My business will be ruined then," he says. He is worried that when people come to visit the tower they won't come to buy his gol guppas then. However, the Karachiite in him doesn't mind development at the beach. "It would make the beach beautiful," Hamid muses "And it would add to the pleasure of the people too." But what will he do after that? Hamid is not certain and resigns his future to fate. "Allah will help me," he says. Yet he can't help asking: "Can't the tower be built somewhere else instead of here?" Hamid knows that he won't be earning the 'handsome' amount he earns at Sea View anywhere else. Other people Kolachi spoke with had similar concerns. Abdul Majid and his brother Waheed work as photographers at the beach to feed the family of fifteen. At the end of the day, they successfully make up to 300 rupees each. Initially they regarded such changes on the beach a good omen. "More and more people will come to beach and have their photographs taken," they said. But when they are told that recreational facilities would have tickets they become insecure as their customers are people who cannot afford to have a camera. "Rich people have their own cameras and they don't need us," Majid explains and expresses fear for the future. "If the poor stop coming here, how would I pay off my house rent?" he asks in dread. Though he can still get back to his labour work, which is what he did a few years ago he knows he "wont be saving much from that." At the moment he easily saves 50 rupees every day. " Do not do this," Majid pleads, "How will we feed our children and how would we pay off utility bills?" Tur Khan an old camel man however refrains Majid from pleading as he feels its of no use. "Has anyone ever listened to the poor?" he asks sarcastically. Tur Khan doesn't know what a monumental tower is but is strictly against any kind of development. "Development is always for the rich. The poor never develop. I have been sitting at this beach for 20 years and so many developments have been made to the beach but I have never developed. I am still the camel man," he states the harsh reality of life as he knows it. Rahat Khan in her 50s however is very enthusiastic about the idea of developing the beach. She works as a supervisor in a factory and every second month comes to the beach with her family of 10. The family doesn't own a car and travels through a public bus all the way from New Karachi because "the sea makes us fresh and it's better to be in fresh air here then sit at home with no electricity at all!" she tells Kolachi. Rahat backs the idea of an amphitheater at the beach but accepts that she won't be among the blessed to take advantage of the facility. "Obviously they would be charging for that and after spending on bus fare and food, that might not be affordable to us." The family spends around 500 rupees on a single trip to the beach and even that's too expensive for them. Though she backs development on the beach but still Rahat feels that the beach at present looks more captivating than it might look after bearing the high-rise hallmarks of modernity. "These small stalls, the multi-colored camel seats, the chana wala selling chana in a chabri, and the kids clapping to the bander ka tamasha too add to the beauty of the sea. These sights reflects our culture and this should not be harmed during development," she says. Despite continuous objections by different factions of the society, the DHA seems to continue with its plans to develop the beaches. Even as they are doing that, the uproar against beach development continues. Both parties are talking about what they think is better for Karachi. Along with the protests by the NGOs and the ultimatums given by the authorities in question, perhaps it would be wise if both came to the table and talked. Sea View, the way it is has belonged to everybody in Karachi. Even if it is developed, what it means to the people of this city should be taken into account. The day the authorities take into account the plight of the camel man and chana wala, is the day Pakistan can be proud of being a truly democratic country. And what better place to begin this than in the commercial heart of Pakistan. city calling Thirsty Hyderabadis block a railway line as water remains scarce Desperate times call for desperate measures... just ask the people who don't have access to water this summer! For inhabitants of
Hyderabad, summer season is marked with water shortages. Subsequently
citizens turn to protest against the authorities for negligence they show A lot of people whom I met every day and majority ask me to write about water shortages. My answer to them is that nothing is going to improve but they feels that it's better to knock the door instead of remaining silent. Citizens including women and children in many localities of Hyderabad run from here and there to get water without any regard for quality. When the focus is on how to get a basic necessity like water for everyday usage, the quality of water is a low priority issue. "I know that water consumption increases during summer but why don't authorities take efforts before the start of the hot spell to improve the situation?" wonders a housewife residing in the Islamabad area of city. She says that people buy drinking water but what could they do when water is not available or supplied for purposes other than drinking? She points out that families with children are the worst affected. Like every summer, this
time again Hyderabad is experiencing shortage of water likely Enraged protestors and citizens are protesting against the water shortages with gusto. They even blocked the railway line at one instance but are still struggling and going from pillar to post for want of water. Such desperation hasn't been witnessed before. They question why the government has not taken measures to solve this long-standing problem. After all, they've been facing water scarcity for a long time now. They feel that it is a systematic problem, that their needs are not the priority as far as the government is concerned. District Naib Nazim, Zafar Rajput who visited several localities facing water shortages tells Kolachi that he is personally looking after and monitoring the schemes of water supply in the district but admits that some localities are facing water shortages. He informed Kolachi that the district government has launched mega development projects including the establishment of new filter plants and construction of water reservoirs with a view to have round-the-clock potable drinking water available to the citizens. However, he said that till these projects are completed, the management of WASA had been directed to undertake extraordinary mechanisms for efficient water supply to the inhabitants in such a way so that they could fulfill their necessary requirements. Quoting the assurances of WASA officials, Zafar Rajput says that the existing water shortage problems in tail-end areas would be solved within weeks. He maintained that the existing system is incapable; therefore new lines are being placed once they get rid of 60-year-old water supply lines. Whatever efforts the government is taking remain dubious to the residents in Gujrati Para, Ten Number Talab, Odean Cinema, Islamabad, Millatabad, Gulshan-e-Qadir, Latifabad, Paretabad, Phuleli, Qasimabad and other localities of Hyderabad. They are facing acute water shortage and continue to believe that authorities are not interested in resolving their problems. Carrying pots to fetch water from water tankers or other sources, people carry on searching for water in the summer heat. It must be remembered that for the poor, purchasing safe drinking water is not even an option. The quality of the water being sold is questionable and research showed that even in Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis the water standard was not up to the mark. So what hope does Hyderabad have? When Kolachi contacted the Managing Director of WASA, Mishraz Siddiqui, he informed us that the water supply system is inadequate to meet the requirement of the citizens. Siddiqui who took charge as MD WASA some three months back tells that the water supply system was not upgraded in comparison with the increase in population. He added that his department is supplying water as per requirement, however the delay in upgrading the system is creating problems. Mishraz was of the view that some tail-end areas of all three talukas including Latifabad, Qasimabad and City are facing shortage of water. He said that efforts are being made to improve the system gradually because the water supply could not be disconnected completely even though the system needs repair urgently. The WASA official said that water consumption is increasing with each passing year but the network remains same. This is being upgraded under new schemes and also through the Hyderabad Development Package. Hyderabad, according to him, requires 68 million gallons everyday but 20 per cent water is being wasted due to system inadequacies for which new lines are being laid. The gravity of water shortage, in what the authorities claim are tail-end areas, is so aggravated that furious citizens blocked the railway line and suspended rail traffic for more than two hours. They raised slogans against the water supplying agency and local government representatives. The protestors included the children of Gujrati Para. As a result of the protest, a Karachi bound train was stopped on the railway line while several other trains were halted at Hyderabad railway station for at least two hours. The residents said that they had been facing water shortage for the last six days but concerned authorities are not paying any heed to their complaints. That is why they had to take the step to block the railway line. What is the option available to the residents the areas worst affected? Street agitation seems to work when it comes to getting water for the time being. When people scream, authorities act. The only solution for overcoming the problem of water shortage is to accelerate the ongoing water supply schemes to provide some relief to citizens during this very hot spell.
The initialisation of Pakistan By Kaleem Omar Back in the early 1980s, in the days when I was still relatively new to the profession of journalism, I came across a headline in a Karachi evening newspaper that said a UTP had escaped. Leaping lizards! What on earth was a UTP, I wondered. Reading on, I discovered that the UTP in question was an "under trial prisoner" who had escaped from police custody from the premises of the Malir courts. One lives and learns, I thought, though I have to admit that if the story in the paper hadn't said so, I would never have guessed what UTP stood for. I also checked this out with some non-journalist friends of mine that day and none of them knew what a UTP was either. One of them thought it was some sort of electronic device like the UPS - the gizmo that keeps your computer working when the electricity fails. Another thought it might be a new rock band, a latter-day version of U-2. A third ventured the suggestion that this UTP could be an NGO, one of the thousands that have proliferated in this country over the decades. Another headline in the same issue of that paper said: "PTA body lauds police efforts". On seeing this headline, my first reaction was: surely, the PTA couldn't have been lauding the police's efforts in allowing the UTP to escape. No, that couldn't be it, I thought. So what was it, then, and what, for that matter, was the PTA? Was it a Parent-Teacher Association or what? Reading on again, I discovered that this particular PTA had nothing to do with parents or teachers, and that it was, in fact, the Pakistan Tanners Association. But just why were a bunch of tanners lauding police efforts in the first place? Well, it turned out that they were lauding the police for arresting a gang of robbers and recovering stolen leather goods worth two million rupees from the gang. Yes, that was certainly worth lauding, I thought. To be more specific, however, it wasn't the main body of the PTA that was doing the lauding but its Law and Order Committee (LOC). So perhaps the headline in the paper should have read: PTA LOC lauds PE (police efforts). Which brings me to the subject of this piece, namely, the initialisation of Pakistan. By that, I mean the vast, and ever-growing, corpus of initials we are confronted by at every turn in this country, whether it's in the newspapers, the bureaucracy, politics, business, industry, finance or any other walk of life. The bureaucracy has led the way in this initialisation process, having created so many organisations over the years that are known by their initials that the whole edifice has come to resemble a gigantic initial-o-rama stretching from one end of the country to the other. Call it wall-to-wall initialisation, or call it what you like, there's no getting away from the fact that if there's one thing that has long characterised life in this land of ours, it is initials, more initials, and still more initials. Some of these sets of initials make up acronyms (meaning, that they can be pronounced like regular words); others are just sets of initials. In the first category come outfits like SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission), NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority), PICIC (Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation), SAZDA (Sindh Arid Zone Authority), NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan Ltd), and PARC (Pakistan Agricultural Research Council) - not to be confused with PARCO (Pak-Arab Refinery Company). Stretching the point a bit, I suppose one could even include in this acronym category outfits like NIC (National Insurance Corporation), PIC (Pakistan Insurance Corporation), SLIC (State life Insurance Corporation), GIET (Governor's Inspection and Evaluation Team), IRSA (Indus River System Authority), whose headquarters were shifted some years ago from Lahore (LHE) to Islamabad (ISD), NIT (National Investment Trust) and NIIT (National Institute of Information Technology). In the second category - that is, sets of initials that can't be pronounced like words - are outfits like NLA (National Language Authority), NLC (National Logistics Cell), ICP (Investment Corporation of Pakistan), HBFC (House Building Finance Corporation), PCSIR (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), NRL (National Refinery Ltd), SNGPL (Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd), SSGC (Sui Southern Gas Company), PSO (Pakistan State Oil), PNSC (Pakistan National Shipping Corporation), MSA (Maritime Security Agency), PC (Privatisation Commission), and a whole clutch of DAs: BDA, CDA, FDA, HDA, KDA, LDA, MDA, RDA, QDA, SDA - development authorities (DAs) being almost as thick on the ground in Pakistan as NGOs. But the list doesn't end there, by any means. In Islamabad, for instance, in the acronym category, we have MINFAL (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock), not to be confused with MINFA (Ministry Finance), PIDE (Pakistan Institute of Development Economics), PINSTECH (Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology), PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Science), and SAPICO (Saudi-Pak Investment Company), to mention only a few examples. In the non-acronym category, we have NHA (National Highways Authority), FWO (Frontier Works Organisation), PPIB (Private Power and Infrastructure Board), BOI (Board of Investment), and EAC (Experts Advisory Cell), though just what sort of advice this advisory cell tenders, and to whom, remains a mystery. In the financial sector, we have outfits like SBP (State Bank of Pakistan), NBP (National Bank of Pakistan), HBL (Habib Bank Ltd), UBL (United Bank Ltd), ABL (Allied Bank Ltd), MCB (Muslim Commercial Bank), PKIC (Pak-Kuwait Investment Company), PLHC (Pak-Libya Holding Company), ICP (Investment Corporation of Pakistan), and IDBP (Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan). In the trading sector, we have TCP (Trading Corporation of Pakistan). We also used to have RECP (Rice Export Corporation of Pakistan) and CEC (Cotton Export Corporation) until they were wound up in the 1990s. Then, in Karachi, we have EPZA (Export Processing Zone Authority), PQA (Port Qasim Authority), KPT (Karachi Port Trust), CAA (Civil Aviation Authority), KMC, LMC and MMC. And they're only a few of the intialised outfits headquartered in the city. Initialised outfits headquartered in Lahore include NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan Ltd), PR (Pakistan Railways), and WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority). But talking of the power sector, tributes are due to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Lahore High Court for giving rulings some years ago safeguarding the national interest in WAPDA's disputes with HUBCO (Hub Power Company) and KAPCO (Kot Addu Power Company), both of which are companies controlled by Britain's privately owned National Power Company (now International Power Company). I say this as a journalist who was the first to criticise, in print, the Benazir government's energy policy, even before it was announced back in March 1994; the first to point out, in a series of investigative reports in The News going back to the mid-1990s, that HUBCO, on a cost-per-megawatt-of-installed-capacity-basis, was one of the most expensive thermal power plants ever built anywhere in the world; and the first to criticise in print, in several full-page investigative reports in The News, back in 1995-96, the Benazir government's decision to hand over WAPDA's profit-making 1,600 MW thermal power station at Kot Addu to National Power. I was also the first journalist to point out in print, back in October 1994, on the very day that the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Benazir government and Hong Kong businessman Gordon Wu was due to be signed at a nationally televised ceremony in Islamabad, that Wu's proposed 5,000 MW (megawatt) thermal power plant in Sindh would never get off the ground. Three years later, in 1997, the plant's sponsors formally announced that they were abandoning the project. I mention all this in order to make the point that, while everybody is always wiser after the event, the trick, mes amis, is to be wiser BEFORE the event and not get caught in the kind of situation that Pakistan got into with HUBCO, KAPCO and Wu. WHO? No, Wu. karachicharacterThe educated carpenter By Faryal Zahid Winston Churchill rightly
said: "An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity and a
pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity." 26-year-old Irfan
belongs to the former category, being one of those rare people for whom
challenges are stepping stones; people Kolachi: Tell us something about your early life? Irfan: I was born in district Mirpurkhas and I did my Matric there. My father died when I was sixteen; after that sustenance became very difficult and I decided to come to Karachi with my uncle. Kolachi: How did Karachi seem to you at first and what did you do for earning? Irfan: To people like us Karachi looks like wonderland. It is very vast with people from varying backgrounds. My family had been into farming in Mirpurkhas so I had to start anew in Karachi. My uncle left me as an apprentice at a carpenter shop where I worked for five years and developed interest in woodwork. Kolachi: Do you manage to earn enough from that? Irfan: Most of the times we are underpaid but I am satisfied with my income so far. I have now done my intermediate and am also learning English. In 2002 I joined a school in the morning as a PA to supplement my income. After that I go to my workshop where I work till night. Kolachi: Do you support your family financially? Irfan: I am the eldest
amongst seven siblings and so I had to take up the responsibility to Kolachi: How do you spend your spare time? Irfan: I visit the markets and often go to the public parks. I have many friends here. Kolachi: How do you like Karachi and its people? Irfan: Karachi is an industrial city and offers many opportunities to prosper. One must optimize on the opportunities at hand. The people are nice but the youth like to show off and that I don't like. Kolachi: If given a chance would you want to change anything about this city? Irfan: There is widespread restlessness and robberies are on a rise. This should be curbed. Kolachi: Would you ever want to leave it and go back? Irfan: No, this city has given me an identity and whatever I have today. I keep on going back to meet my family but this is my permanent abode. Kolachi: What are your plans for future? Irfan: I want to save enough money to open my own workshop. People who know me personally give me offers to make wooden furniture and pieces for their homes. I also want to study further which is very important if one has to set up and expand one's own business. With hope, determination and passion in his eyes Kolachi bade adieu to Irfan. In a city that can be an exercise in character building for some and soul destroying for others, it is people like Irfan who are the true sons of Karachi. These are the men and women who ride the wave, have the wisdom to wait out adversity and seize the moment when it comes. They know that as trying as this city can be, it also has a way of rewarding those who work hard and think smart – such is Karachi's character! |
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one could catch a glimpse of the strident waves splashing forcefully on the
sea shore. You could even easily hear the sound of the waves breaking. It
was musical enough to make one rush to the shore. Today however, even after
reaching to the McDonald's at the beach, one doesn't see the fascinating
performance of the whirling waves. The recently built restaurants and the
stone embankments get in the way. The beach as we knew it has changed.
Development has ensured that.
e
view. What would happen, one wonders, to the umpteen young men who get on
their bikes every weekend to catch a glimpse of the sea and forget about
their urban troubles for a while.
public. If on one hand people who belong to high society and the business
class are backing this development as it would make Karachi look like Dubai,
at the same time there are intellectuals, NGOs and some eminent citizens who
are fervently opposing this development on account that this development is
a commercial exploitation and would be too expensive for the majority of
Karachiites to afford.
"They
have taken the coast with the Marina Club and all these hotels they have
built there, and are not allowing anyone any access to this beautiful
stretch where we used to fish once. Why should we believe that they will
provide access to people on this project?" argues Arif Hasan, Chairman
URC and an ardent opponent of this project. They believe that the fallout of
development will be that the poor will be robbed of their only free-of-cost
entertainment and the rerhi walas, chabri walas, papar walas, camel and
horsemen, and other vendors who stake a living out of catering to the masses
who flock to the beach will find themselves out of their daily wage.
anyone could snatch the beach away from masses.
letting water tanks dry. As a result, everyone suffers. The authorities
concerned, that is the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), always have a
ready excuse. They attribute this crisis to the disparity between demand and
supply. This tired drum continues to be beaten. No one pays attention to the
core problem: the lack of advance planning to do away with the difficulty.
because of the lack of planning on the side of authorities- who as always
been busy in other businesses of life and government. And this lack of will
or inability to do something about so dire a situation has sent tempers
soaring as Hyderabad reaches boiling point this summer.
who struggle to break away from the shackles of convention and fulfill their
cherished dreams. Tall and dark with a surprisingly shy demeanour, Irfan
narrates his journey to Kolachi - from a 16 year old poverty stricken lad in
Mirpurkhas to an accomplished and educated artisan in the city of lights
where he found a home.
support them after my father. They all live in Mirpurkhas.