[sustran] FW: EVICTION ALERT APPEAL re Expressway in Karachi

Paul Barter geobpa at nus.edu.sg
Mon Jan 21 19:46:09 JST 2002


From: URC [mailto:urckhi at hinet.net.pk] 
Sent: Monday, 21 January 2002 4:51 PM
To: ...
Subject: EVICTION ALERT APPEAL 

EVICTION ALERT APPEAL FROM
POOR COMMUNITIES OF LYARI NADI (river)
IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN.

 The government is under taking largest bulldozing operation ever taken
place in the history of Karachi city.

 In this operation over 25000 housing units will be bulldozed. The
communities have been given three days notices to vacate their houses. After
completing this dead line the government has started bulldozing operation
today on Manday 21 January 2002. The entire area is surrounded by the police
and para military forces.  

 The communities feel the government has betrayed them by false promises of
decent resettlement (relocation) before bulldozing their houses, which they
built over years through their life savings.

 Presently government has announced a compensation of Rs.50000/= and a small
plot (land) to each family at city fringes.

 The present settlements are located at city centre and having a property
value of Rs.500,000/= (minimum) per family.

 It is a very brutal way of displacing poor families at the midst of harsh
cold weather.

 According to the government survey this drive will displace 11964 housing
units, 42 Religious Places (Mosques, Churches, Menders), 1035
Shops/Workshops/ Factories. 

 But community surveys contradict with government's figures and they fears
the actual displacement will be three times higher than the government
estimates.

 These evictions are being taking place to build Lyari Expressway on both
banks of Lyari River.

 Most urban planners, NGOs and CBOs firmly believe the city does not need
this Expressway. According to them the Northern Bypass is much better option
for the city. (Note Work on Northern Bypass is already begun). For more
details please click on www.urckarachi.org.

 We appeal all individuals and organizations please directly send fax
appeals (sample given below) to the president of Pakistan and CC to
authorities responsible/concerns for this action (mentioned in sample
letter).

 We hope you will act on this appeal immediately. This will provide strength
to the community leaders engage in negotiations with the city government.

 In fact we have lost a major battle but your support will still change
everything.

See sample letter below.
Regards,
Muhammad Younus
URC, Karachi  
21/01/2002

 Sample letter

 To,
General Pervez Muharraf 
President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 
Islamabad, Pakistan   
        
21 January 02
Fax numbers: 92 51 9207656 and 92 51 9270205

Subject:        Stop forced eviction of Lyari Nadi Communities in Karachi 

Your Excellency,

Our organization has been informed that Pakistan government and Karachi City
government are undertaking massive bulldozing operation of poor people in
Lyari Nadi (River) in Karachi. We have come to know from reliable sources
that the city government has started a bulldozing operation in Karachi on
Monday 21st January 2002. They have bulldozed a large number of community
establishments and will bulldoze 25000 more houses in coming days. This
operation will continue until 30 January 2002 and thousands of houses would
be bulldozed in 46 low income settlements along both sides of Lyari River. 

This operation will leave thousands of families homeless and at the height
of winter, to harsh and cold weather, rendering many children, elderly and
the infirm vulnerable to sickness. This operation will destroy assets worth
millions Rupees of very poor people, and the city government has no plans to
compensate these families or offer them alternative living places. Presently
it has announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 and a plot at city fringes,
which we believe is not a sufficient compensation at any local or
international standards. Many of these communities have lived there for well
over forty years, and have invested time and resources in acquiring basic
amenities like water, electricity, etc.    

You are of course aware, that this is a cruel and inhuman act aimed at
people for no reason other than that they are poor. You are aware that
forced evictions are considered gross violation of human rights, in
particular the right to adequate housing by the United Nations. Pakistan was
one of the first to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
ensures that every child, should have a decent place to live. By evicting
these families your government will be violating Article 6 (1) and (2);
Article 16 (1) and (2); Article 24 (1) and Article 27 (1) and (3).

Furthermore, the government of Pakistan has committed itself to the global
plan of action of Habitat II, in 1996, which recognizes the right to
adequate housing, condemns forced evictions and encourages a humane way of
dealing with poor squatter families. 

We urge you to immediately stop the evictions, rehabilitate those that have
already been evicted and to engage the community, the Sindh Katchi Abadi
Authority and other NGOs to a dialogue on how this problem could be
resolved. We hope your government will protect the weak and vulnerable.
Respectfully yours,

Signatures
Your Name
Your Organization
 
CC:
1. Main Muhammad Soomro, Governor of Sindh Fax No. + 92 21 920 5041 or 92 21
920 1215, 92 21 9201226
2. Advocate Namatullah Khan, City Nazim Fax:  + 92 21 9215117 or 92 21
9215131
3. Tansneem Ahmad Siddiqui, Director General Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority 
Fax No.  + 92 21 9211272
4. Ovis Ghani, Federal Minister for local Bodies Katchi Abadis Fax 92 51
9224890
5. Muhammad Younus, Director Urban Resource Centre Fax No. 92 21 4384288
_____________________________
Urban Resource Centre
3/48 Mualimabad Jamal uddin Afghani Road off Khalid Bin Walid Road Karachi
74800 Pakistan 
Tel 92 21 4559275 Fax 92 21 4384288
E-mail urckhi at hinet.net.pk
Web site www.urckarachi.org
and www.achr.net



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