The Lyari Expressway and Mass Transit System of Karachi are a threat to the physical fabric of British period Historical Quarters of Karachi, states a recent study, published in a form of a book by Oxford University Press titled 'The Historical Quarters of Karachi'.
The study was carried out on four areas, the Old Town Quarters, the Wadhumal Odharam and Ranchore Quarters and the Serai Quarters. The study revealed that Merewether Tower, Max Denso Hall, the City Court, the KMC Headquarters Building, the Old Assembly Building, Khaliqdina Hall and Library, Empress Market, the Parsi Fire Temple, the Zoological Gardens and the Brooks Memorial Church are the historic symbols which will be defaced visually and physically by the Karachi Mass Transit Project.
The study terms Lyari Expressway an 'ill conceived' project initiated without any understanding of the problems it is supposed to solve, and will only help in expanding the markets into the historic quarters which besides causing further traffic congestion, will result in degradation of the physical fabric, flight of residents and increase of social ills.
It concludes that the physical fabric of these quarters is intrinsically unsuitable for the functions they have been called upon to perform progressively over the last seventy-five years. This was accompanied by the lack of interest on the part of the relevant development agencies, and the ruthless onslaught of major mafias controlling the city, that is leading to their rapid degradation and decay in terms of the socio-cultural and physical structure and is likely to reach a point of no return in near future.
The authorities at the city level have been held responsible for not considering the need for the rehabilitation of these quarters, which are a symbol of an Old Karachi.
The book consists of seven sections: The Historical Development and the Socio-Spatial Transformation of Karachi, the Historic Architecture of Karachi City, the Old Town Quarters, The Wadhumal Odharam and Ranchore Quarters, the Serai Quarters, the Impact of Development, Legal and Institutional Issues on the Historic Quarters and Conclusion.
There are maps and statistics of historic value, which give a clear layout of the old city. The study provides a comprehensive account of pre and post-independence Karachi.
Pictures included are unique but not of good quality, this might be because of non-availability of old documents. The research was aimed at addressing the much neglected area of protection and conservation of the historic architecture in Karachi, which can be compared with other major cities of the world like Cairo and Istanbul. It is a very well documented research by a well known architect and conservationist Yasmin Cheema and is a source of valuable information about the Historic Karachi and how it can be preserved.
Yasmin Cheema holds a degree of MS in Restoration of Monuments and Historical Sites from the Middle Eastern University, Ankara. Arif Hassan, a renowned architect and town planner was also associated with this study as Project Advisor, along with Hena Kabir (architect) and Fouzia Sultana (architect). It is a must for the urban planners for future planning of the city but lacks attraction for general readers due to the absence of coloured and high quality pictures.
================================================ Book : The Historical Quarters of Karachi Writer : Yasmin Cheema Publisher : Oxford University Press Pages : 185 Price : Rs 595/- ================================================
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