Alleged mega corruption in the Hawksbay Scheme 42 of Lyari Development Authority (LDA) needs urgent attention of anti-corruption watchdogs including Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as corrupt elements are sitting over billions of rupees of the allottees of this scheme, who could not get possession of their plots despite the passage of a long time.
Hawksbay Scheme 42 comprises 20700 acres of controlled area and 11450 acres of development area, whose physical possession was handed over by Board of Revenue (BOR) to defunct KDA back in December 1985. As many as 11,450 Development Area (Deh Lal Bakhar & Deh Moach) includes 3,985 acres allocations of KMC, KPT, Central BOR, Villages, etc. The scheme was transferred from KDA (defunct) to LDA on 10-01-1996 by virtue of LDA Act-1993.
So far LDA & KDA (defunct) have planned approximately 54,000 residential plots of various sizes from 80 to 400 sq. yards and allotted to general public through open balloting from 1990 to 2008. After all these effort, the scheme remained dormant for more than 15 years for want of resources. However, in 2008, the scheme was re-activated and LDA generated funds to restart the physical development after balloting of 9000 residential plots (240 & 400 Sq-yard).
The website of the LDA says that KDA planned the scheme comprising of 71-Blocks with residential plots of 80, 120, 240, 400 & 600 Sq-Yards, besides commercial and amenity plots within development area. It says 54,380 planned residential plots of various categories have been balloted to date except 600 Sq-Yard residential (to be auctioned), Commercial plots (to be auctioned), and Amenity plots (to be disposed off as per policy), adding the scheme remained dormant over past several years for want of resources.
It says the LDA generated funds to restart the physical development with last balloting of 9000 residential plots in 2008 (240 & 400 Sq-yard). For Planning, Design & Supervision (development works) of Scheme 42, LDA hired the services of Osmani & Company (Pvt.) Ltd as Technical Consultants in May 2008.
The LDA claims that it has started work on war footing basis, and on a Need-based Development strategy, the scheme was divided into 3 development zones: Central Development Zone, Eastern Development Zone, and Western Development Zone.
However, the pace of the development work in the Hawksbay Scheme 42 is either zero or pathetically slow. Thousands of allottees who have already paid their instalments are still deprived of the possession of their plots, because the LDA has miserably failed to initiate the required development work. The LDA is just earning hefty interest on the deposits of the allottees to foot the royal expenses of their bureaucracy and bosses, majority of them blue-eyed boys of sitting provincial rulers and many allegedly appointed in these lucrative posts on the basis of their political connections.
Many citizens think the Hawksbay Scheme 42 is a big scam like the scam of Fishermen Co-operative Society and some links of notorious corruption kings and queens of Sindh, as well as, Lyari crime may be easily traced to it, if proper investigation is carried out. However, the allottees demand that the LDA should immediately start development activities in the Hawks Bay Scheme 42 and announce a cut-off date of handing over of the possession of plots to their genuine allottees.
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