Recreation at Stake
Text: Ar. Suneela Ahmed
Karachi’s Coastal Line is more than 60 km long, stretching from Cape Monze in the West to Bundle Island in the East. It depicts varying character of urban and rural settings due to its vicinity and accessibility. Most of its area is barren and available for development. There are very little or no tourist attractions or facilities for day-trippers and holiday-makers. The recent City District Governments of Karachi (CDGK) have been taking keen interest in the development of these coastal areas, so that the people coming for recreation can enjoy the different facilities.
The development potential and projects for identified beaches include; public gardens, marina, restaurants & hotels for Clifton Beach, day-trippers and weekenders play areas, boating, swimming, overnight stay hotels, motels, etc. For Hawks bay and Sands Pits beaches, day-trippers and weekenders play areas, boating, swimming, overnight stay for Paradise Point, day-trippers and weekenders play areas and, boating for Manora Island, and leisure boating and visits to the mangroves for Boating Basin, China Creek and French Beach areas. The other common facilities may be vehicle parking lots, restaurants, shopping malls, play areas, hotels, and water sports. Defence Housing Authority (DHA) is working towards the conversion of its 14 km of waterfront into a $-600 million series of playgrounds and leisure/pleasure spots called the “DHA Waterfront Development Project”.
Although in description these developments may seem the right way forward for the city of Karachi but in reality these developments ignore the ground reality and issues of sustainability and livelihood for the common citizen. These developments are aimed to attract the elite and deprive the common people of the free access to the beaches. No Environment Impact Assessment is undertaken for these developments thus exposing the coastline to natural hazards and calamities.
In theory the concept behind the development of the beach is to improve recreational opportunities to all visitors, protection of the environmental quality of the beach, to make the development self supporting and strengthening of the land use planning for the present and for the future but the ground reality is different. The development project does not incorporate the local stakeholders who have been residing in the areas or have been using the coast for recreational purposes or as a source of income for generations. The developers undertake a top down approach with no research into the activities being undertaken at the proposed site for years that could be incorporated in the new development plans.
This article questions the validity of such developments and taking the case study of the Clifton and Defence beaches, the most frequented beaches of the city, it studies the social impacts of the Clifton & Defence beach development in the city of Karachi on the less privileged for whom a day trip to the Clifton and Defence Beaches is often at times the only affordable source of entertainment.
The stretch of the beach from Sheerin Jinnah colony to Creek Vistas have number of different activities happening along it, that give different characteristic and colour to this stretch of the waterfront.
From the spiritual activities of Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar and the temple of Mahadev, to the recreational activities at Fun land, from fishing on the shore front to the upscale entertainment of Marina Club, from food restaurants and kiosks to vendors, from formal to informal entertainment, all sorts of activities can be sorted along the waterfront that caters to all income groups of the society.
The most popular beach in Karachi is located adjacent to the Jehangir Kothari Parade and the typical route undertaken by day trippers is a visit to the shrine and then a walk down to the beach, either through the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim or via Fun land or Play land.[1] The majority of the visitors to the Clifton beach visit the Mazar (Tomb) of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Fun land & Play land, the recently constructed Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim and the Beach Park. The activities offered on the water front include camelback rides, horseback rides, snake charmers, amusement parks, restaurants, or just a plain old dip in the sea.
The Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, the temple of Mahadev and Aisha Bawany Trust Mosque provide spiritual and cultural connection for people As a result the area around the Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi is extremely crowded from Thursday to Sunday. These visitors are not citizens of Karachi only but people from all over the country visit the shrine, paying offerings and Niyaz (offering food in the name of said). The pilgrims also visit the beach in the vicinity.
The Play land area that has recently been minimized with the construction of the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim still provides affordable entertainment for families with variety of joyrides and food items available. The road from the Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi and Play land to the beach has tanga walas offering tanga rides. The narrow street next to the Mazar becomes a pedestrian route extremely crowded on the weekends. There are many other informal activities taking place on this street namely camel rides, fortune telling, weight machine vendor, fresh juice vendors, kite flying, horse riding, fruit vendors, food kiosks, toy vendors, snake charmer etc. These informal activities are offered at a very minimal price which not only makes it affordable for the visitors but also adds variety and colour to the beach.
Another major attraction, adjacent to the Mazar is Fun land which is a source of recreation and entertainment offering joyrides. Initially Fun land was the only play land in the city. With the passage of time and expansion of the city, many other play lands have opened up. This has resulted in distribution of visitors and holiday makers, and a degradation of this Fun land. The entrance to the Fun land is free of charge with affordable fare for the joyrides having a potential for multi class recreation for thousands of people visiting the Fun land.
Recently with the construction of Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim the Fun land has been shrunk in size and its entry gate has been relocated through a residential area which has greatly upset the residents. With some of the new rides installed being 20 to 25 feet high the privacy of these residents has been adversely affected and it has become a nuisance for the residents, as there is no demarcation between public and private spaces. It has also decreased the real estate value of these plots, as according to the by laws these are residential plots that cannot be used for commercial usage. Thus builders and developers are not interested in buying them which puts the owners in a disadvantaged position and they don’t have an option of selling their houses and moving to another locality.[3]
An interview with a resident in Clifton:
“The main entrance is located right in front of my home which has created a lot of problems for my family. To start with, the newly installed rides as high as 20 to 25 feet deprives me completely of the privacy of my house. Security is another issue as any body and every body can access the fun land with no check for any kind of weapons. Moreover god forbid if there’s a bomb explosion in the fun land, there’s no planning for evacuation of people as the road facing the entrance is narrow and usually crowded because of parking. The noise level is extremely high every day and becomes unbearable on weekends. The resale value of my home is extremely low in spite of being located in a posh locality. I do not want to move out as this house was built by my father.”
The Beach Park along the Clifton waterfront is another recent development. There is an entry fee of Rs.10 for adults and Rs. 5 for children, with additional parking fee, which is expensive recreation considering that the beach park doesn’t offer any entertainment. It only has Gazebo’s, landscaping and sitting spaces.
An estimated 3.7kilometres when completed, the park is located on that portion of the beach which is now being termed as “Ghareebon ka sahil”[4], since this part of the beach is more crowded by vendors and hawkers catering to the lower income group and middle class. The park stands between the beach and the road, enclosed by a wall, and people can only access this part of the beach if they buy a ticket to the park.
The park comprises of lawns, gazebos, stone benches, walkways and play areas for children without any additional charges. The families visiting the park objected to the fact that now it’s not possible to visit this stretch without paying an entrance fee.[5] Whereas, the stretch controlled by the D.H.A. charges only parking fee for vehicles, otherwise it’s free for pedestrians.
The Bagh ibne Qasim’s so called ‘development’ is another feather in the cap of the recent government. It has been developed on a vast scale but unfortunately it offers no variety of recreation or entertainment.
Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim measures 246 acres and has lush green landscaped areas with gazebos, food outlets, toilet facilities and play area for children. The park incorporates the Lady Lloyd Pier which runs in the middle of the park. The band stand and Jehangir Kothari parade have also been renovated and restored.
Previously, this piece of open land was used by various stakeholders(mostly young men) ranging from school children playing cricket on a Sunday, to people having Go cart races to children flying kites.[6] Thus this open piece of land was all about variety and richness which our city is loosing each day. By encompassing the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim in a boundary wall and charging an entry fee these frequent users of the previously accessible space have been cornered. They no longer visit the park because the landscaped areas don’t facilitate their interests of playing cricket, flying kites or go-cart racing besides the fact that they can only enter the park if they visit as a family, as the park is a family park and single men are not allowed.
The park is however, heavily crowded on Sundays and public holidays. Located in a busy district, next to posh residential area and an upscale shopping mall, the park is frequented by visitors from all walks of life. The nearby residents use it for morning walks and exercise. Families from all parts of the city come here and have termed it as a beautiful addition to the city for families.[7]
Families visiting this park were of the view that the food items on the food stalls in the park are expensive. There is no price control as the same food items can be purchased from outside at lesser prices. This contrast increases the expenditure rate for the families wanting to keep their recreation within their budgets. The cost of food items and fare rates for rides increases the total cost on the trip as people opting for recreation come here with group of families. So these families prefer to visit when they get their salaries in the start of the month.[8]
The waterfront from McDonald’s to the Salt and Pepper Restaurant is owned by DHA has been developed by constructing a stone embankment wall on which people can sit and view the sea, a paved service lane and parking for cars, a one-kilometre stretch having steps leading to the beach with seating arrangements for visitors, placement of outsourced food kiosks along the promenade and installation of flood lights along the stretch of the beach thus extending the visiting time and providing more security.
These interventions on the part of DHA have forced the vendors (chabbari walas, ketley chai walas, pappar walas, channa and mongphalli walas, bunder ka tamasha walas and jogis) to shift towards the Clifton side of the water front thus depriving visitors belonging to middle and low income groups of cheap, affordable entertainment. The available sources of food are now either these kiosks or restaurants, which are not affordable to the poor and middle-income groups. As a result, the poor no longer frequent the DHA occupied stretch of Beach, which is now called Ameeron ka Sahil.[9]
Further down near Korangi and Gizri Creeks, there are villages of Ibrahim Haideri, Akbar Shah Goth, Goth Haji Ayub, Chashma Goth and Jumma Goth. People from these villages have been fishing on this coast (in waters across the sea-view) for centuries. Now with the development of these areas and the reclamation of land it has become increasingly difficult for them to fish on this coast. With the introduction of the water sports, as planned by DHA, whatever fishing remains will be completely lost and with the proposed commercialisation of Bannu and Bandal islands the fishermen will have no place to stock their daily catch.
DHA has developed high-income high-rise apartments, clubs, hotels and bowling alleys, which are inaccessible to the masses because of economic barriers. Marina club/yachting club provide membership specific recreation having upscale high end users. Public transport routes are not available. Similarly the bowling club is also an expensive facility that is only accessible by the high income people.
The developments proposed by DHA will also influence the residents of the area especially people residing in the water front properties. With the construction of high rise commercial and residential buildings on the waterfront their view to the sea would get obstructed and their privacy would be at stake. The increase in the real estate value and the changing dynamics of the locality might eventually force them to shift to quieter residential areas thus leading towards a drastic change in the social structure of the area.
Developments like the head high parapets at the Jehangir Kothari, and the conversion of beach parks like the Usmani Park into a shopping, entertainment and residential project in violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997. “Public access to the beach is protected under the public trust doctrine. Beaches enjoy a special amenity status with all the protection that the law affords to public amenity land. In recent years, the protests of citizens about the commercialization of beaches along the Clifton sea-shore and beyond have been mounting, but are totally ignored by the rapaciously greedy DHA and the concerned government authorities.
The outcome of the petition will determine whether or not only the rich and powerful have the right to the benefit of the Almighty’s bounty and will establish whether or not the wealthy and influential can usurp for their selfish private use a natural facility and resource that should by right be enjoyed by each and every citizen without distinction.”[10]
The developments along the coast of Karachi are all aimed for the elite of the society. They are speculative developments through which the government and private development authorities aim to gain profits. According to Architect/ urban planner Arif Hasan “Karachi has lost all its multi-class recreational and entertainment places. Saddar, the old town institutional and community buildings and spaces, cinemas, have all gone. They have been the victims of massive environmental degradation, absence of social and cultural considerations in urban planning, and elite that has chosen to ghettoize itself out of fear and ignorance and in the process it has usurped the city’s natural assets for its own benefit. Clifton Beach has been an exception to this, but not any more.
The DHA occupied beach can be given back its multi-class environment without adversely affecting the facilities and ambiance that the DHA has provided. Chabbri walas and vendors can be provided special spaces within which they can operate and areas can be reserved for bunder and snake ka tamashas. If the poor and rich cannot share public space, then we are heading for major conflicts similar to those in Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro and the rich will be as much the victims as the poor.”[11]
Development needs to benefit majority of the citizens of a society. In the case of Karachi this majority happens to be the people residing in the Katchi Abadis and belonging to the low income group. But unfortunately the so called ‘development’ projects in our city ignore the stake of this large section of the society which in the case of the water front developments is ‘recreation’.
[1] Hasan, Sabahat. Seafront development as a recreational spot for public at Clifton beach, NED. November 2004, pg 94. [2] Hasan, Sabahat. Seafront development as a recreational spot for public at Clifton beach, NED. November 2004, pg 94.
[3] ibid
[4] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
[5] As established though surveys at Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University of Engineering & Technology, 2007
[6] Interview with Architect Arif Hasan
[7] As established through surveys
[8] As established though surveys at Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University of Engineering & Technology, 2007
[9] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
[10] Ardeshir Cowasjee (February 19, 2006) Daily Dawn, Karachi
[11] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
Karachi’s Coastal Line is more than 60 km long, stretching from Cape Monze in the West to Bundle Island in the East. It depicts varying character of urban and rural settings due to its vicinity and accessibility. Most of its area is barren and available for development. There are very little or no tourist attractions or facilities for day-trippers and holiday-makers. The recent City District Governments of Karachi (CDGK) have been taking keen interest in the development of these coastal areas, so that the people coming for recreation can enjoy the different facilities.
The development potential and projects for identified beaches include; public gardens, marina, restaurants & hotels for Clifton Beach, day-trippers and weekenders play areas, boating, swimming, overnight stay hotels, motels, etc. For Hawks bay and Sands Pits beaches, day-trippers and weekenders play areas, boating, swimming, overnight stay for Paradise Point, day-trippers and weekenders play areas and, boating for Manora Island, and leisure boating and visits to the mangroves for Boating Basin, China Creek and French Beach areas. The other common facilities may be vehicle parking lots, restaurants, shopping malls, play areas, hotels, and water sports. Defence Housing Authority (DHA) is working towards the conversion of its 14 km of waterfront into a $-600 million series of playgrounds and leisure/pleasure spots called the “DHA Waterfront Development Project”.
Although in description these developments may seem the right way forward for the city of Karachi but in reality these developments ignore the ground reality and issues of sustainability and livelihood for the common citizen. These developments are aimed to attract the elite and deprive the common people of the free access to the beaches. No Environment Impact Assessment is undertaken for these developments thus exposing the coastline to natural hazards and calamities.
In theory the concept behind the development of the beach is to improve recreational opportunities to all visitors, protection of the environmental quality of the beach, to make the development self supporting and strengthening of the land use planning for the present and for the future but the ground reality is different. The development project does not incorporate the local stakeholders who have been residing in the areas or have been using the coast for recreational purposes or as a source of income for generations. The developers undertake a top down approach with no research into the activities being undertaken at the proposed site for years that could be incorporated in the new development plans.
This article questions the validity of such developments and taking the case study of the Clifton and Defence beaches, the most frequented beaches of the city, it studies the social impacts of the Clifton & Defence beach development in the city of Karachi on the less privileged for whom a day trip to the Clifton and Defence Beaches is often at times the only affordable source of entertainment.
Activities along the Clifton & Defence Beaches
The Clifton and Defence Beaches are frequented by people belonging to all walks of life but the middle and low income groups form the majority. The visitors to the Clifton and Defence beaches include tourists, holidaymakers and day tripper. These beaches are surrounded by a multi class entertainment and recreation zone.The stretch of the beach from Sheerin Jinnah colony to Creek Vistas have number of different activities happening along it, that give different characteristic and colour to this stretch of the waterfront.
From the spiritual activities of Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar and the temple of Mahadev, to the recreational activities at Fun land, from fishing on the shore front to the upscale entertainment of Marina Club, from food restaurants and kiosks to vendors, from formal to informal entertainment, all sorts of activities can be sorted along the waterfront that caters to all income groups of the society.
The most popular beach in Karachi is located adjacent to the Jehangir Kothari Parade and the typical route undertaken by day trippers is a visit to the shrine and then a walk down to the beach, either through the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim or via Fun land or Play land.[1] The majority of the visitors to the Clifton beach visit the Mazar (Tomb) of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Fun land & Play land, the recently constructed Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim and the Beach Park. The activities offered on the water front include camelback rides, horseback rides, snake charmers, amusement parks, restaurants, or just a plain old dip in the sea.
| Date | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| No. of visitors | 0.25 million | 0.4 million | 0.58 million |
No of visitors to the Clifton Beach[2]
The Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, the temple of Mahadev and Aisha Bawany Trust Mosque provide spiritual and cultural connection for people As a result the area around the Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi is extremely crowded from Thursday to Sunday. These visitors are not citizens of Karachi only but people from all over the country visit the shrine, paying offerings and Niyaz (offering food in the name of said). The pilgrims also visit the beach in the vicinity.
The Play land area that has recently been minimized with the construction of the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim still provides affordable entertainment for families with variety of joyrides and food items available. The road from the Mazar of Abdullah Shah Ghazi and Play land to the beach has tanga walas offering tanga rides. The narrow street next to the Mazar becomes a pedestrian route extremely crowded on the weekends. There are many other informal activities taking place on this street namely camel rides, fortune telling, weight machine vendor, fresh juice vendors, kite flying, horse riding, fruit vendors, food kiosks, toy vendors, snake charmer etc. These informal activities are offered at a very minimal price which not only makes it affordable for the visitors but also adds variety and colour to the beach.
Another major attraction, adjacent to the Mazar is Fun land which is a source of recreation and entertainment offering joyrides. Initially Fun land was the only play land in the city. With the passage of time and expansion of the city, many other play lands have opened up. This has resulted in distribution of visitors and holiday makers, and a degradation of this Fun land. The entrance to the Fun land is free of charge with affordable fare for the joyrides having a potential for multi class recreation for thousands of people visiting the Fun land.
Recently with the construction of Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim the Fun land has been shrunk in size and its entry gate has been relocated through a residential area which has greatly upset the residents. With some of the new rides installed being 20 to 25 feet high the privacy of these residents has been adversely affected and it has become a nuisance for the residents, as there is no demarcation between public and private spaces. It has also decreased the real estate value of these plots, as according to the by laws these are residential plots that cannot be used for commercial usage. Thus builders and developers are not interested in buying them which puts the owners in a disadvantaged position and they don’t have an option of selling their houses and moving to another locality.[3]
An interview with a resident in Clifton:
“The main entrance is located right in front of my home which has created a lot of problems for my family. To start with, the newly installed rides as high as 20 to 25 feet deprives me completely of the privacy of my house. Security is another issue as any body and every body can access the fun land with no check for any kind of weapons. Moreover god forbid if there’s a bomb explosion in the fun land, there’s no planning for evacuation of people as the road facing the entrance is narrow and usually crowded because of parking. The noise level is extremely high every day and becomes unbearable on weekends. The resale value of my home is extremely low in spite of being located in a posh locality. I do not want to move out as this house was built by my father.”
The Beach Park along the Clifton waterfront is another recent development. There is an entry fee of Rs.10 for adults and Rs. 5 for children, with additional parking fee, which is expensive recreation considering that the beach park doesn’t offer any entertainment. It only has Gazebo’s, landscaping and sitting spaces.
An estimated 3.7kilometres when completed, the park is located on that portion of the beach which is now being termed as “Ghareebon ka sahil”[4], since this part of the beach is more crowded by vendors and hawkers catering to the lower income group and middle class. The park stands between the beach and the road, enclosed by a wall, and people can only access this part of the beach if they buy a ticket to the park.
The park comprises of lawns, gazebos, stone benches, walkways and play areas for children without any additional charges. The families visiting the park objected to the fact that now it’s not possible to visit this stretch without paying an entrance fee.[5] Whereas, the stretch controlled by the D.H.A. charges only parking fee for vehicles, otherwise it’s free for pedestrians.
The Bagh ibne Qasim’s so called ‘development’ is another feather in the cap of the recent government. It has been developed on a vast scale but unfortunately it offers no variety of recreation or entertainment.
Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim measures 246 acres and has lush green landscaped areas with gazebos, food outlets, toilet facilities and play area for children. The park incorporates the Lady Lloyd Pier which runs in the middle of the park. The band stand and Jehangir Kothari parade have also been renovated and restored.
Previously, this piece of open land was used by various stakeholders(mostly young men) ranging from school children playing cricket on a Sunday, to people having Go cart races to children flying kites.[6] Thus this open piece of land was all about variety and richness which our city is loosing each day. By encompassing the Bagh-e-ibn-Qasim in a boundary wall and charging an entry fee these frequent users of the previously accessible space have been cornered. They no longer visit the park because the landscaped areas don’t facilitate their interests of playing cricket, flying kites or go-cart racing besides the fact that they can only enter the park if they visit as a family, as the park is a family park and single men are not allowed.
The park is however, heavily crowded on Sundays and public holidays. Located in a busy district, next to posh residential area and an upscale shopping mall, the park is frequented by visitors from all walks of life. The nearby residents use it for morning walks and exercise. Families from all parts of the city come here and have termed it as a beautiful addition to the city for families.[7]
Families visiting this park were of the view that the food items on the food stalls in the park are expensive. There is no price control as the same food items can be purchased from outside at lesser prices. This contrast increases the expenditure rate for the families wanting to keep their recreation within their budgets. The cost of food items and fare rates for rides increases the total cost on the trip as people opting for recreation come here with group of families. So these families prefer to visit when they get their salaries in the start of the month.[8]
The waterfront from McDonald’s to the Salt and Pepper Restaurant is owned by DHA has been developed by constructing a stone embankment wall on which people can sit and view the sea, a paved service lane and parking for cars, a one-kilometre stretch having steps leading to the beach with seating arrangements for visitors, placement of outsourced food kiosks along the promenade and installation of flood lights along the stretch of the beach thus extending the visiting time and providing more security.
These interventions on the part of DHA have forced the vendors (chabbari walas, ketley chai walas, pappar walas, channa and mongphalli walas, bunder ka tamasha walas and jogis) to shift towards the Clifton side of the water front thus depriving visitors belonging to middle and low income groups of cheap, affordable entertainment. The available sources of food are now either these kiosks or restaurants, which are not affordable to the poor and middle-income groups. As a result, the poor no longer frequent the DHA occupied stretch of Beach, which is now called Ameeron ka Sahil.[9]
Further down near Korangi and Gizri Creeks, there are villages of Ibrahim Haideri, Akbar Shah Goth, Goth Haji Ayub, Chashma Goth and Jumma Goth. People from these villages have been fishing on this coast (in waters across the sea-view) for centuries. Now with the development of these areas and the reclamation of land it has become increasingly difficult for them to fish on this coast. With the introduction of the water sports, as planned by DHA, whatever fishing remains will be completely lost and with the proposed commercialisation of Bannu and Bandal islands the fishermen will have no place to stock their daily catch.
DHA has developed high-income high-rise apartments, clubs, hotels and bowling alleys, which are inaccessible to the masses because of economic barriers. Marina club/yachting club provide membership specific recreation having upscale high end users. Public transport routes are not available. Similarly the bowling club is also an expensive facility that is only accessible by the high income people.
The developments proposed by DHA will also influence the residents of the area especially people residing in the water front properties. With the construction of high rise commercial and residential buildings on the waterfront their view to the sea would get obstructed and their privacy would be at stake. The increase in the real estate value and the changing dynamics of the locality might eventually force them to shift to quieter residential areas thus leading towards a drastic change in the social structure of the area.
Developments like the head high parapets at the Jehangir Kothari, and the conversion of beach parks like the Usmani Park into a shopping, entertainment and residential project in violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997. “Public access to the beach is protected under the public trust doctrine. Beaches enjoy a special amenity status with all the protection that the law affords to public amenity land. In recent years, the protests of citizens about the commercialization of beaches along the Clifton sea-shore and beyond have been mounting, but are totally ignored by the rapaciously greedy DHA and the concerned government authorities.
The outcome of the petition will determine whether or not only the rich and powerful have the right to the benefit of the Almighty’s bounty and will establish whether or not the wealthy and influential can usurp for their selfish private use a natural facility and resource that should by right be enjoyed by each and every citizen without distinction.”[10]
The developments along the coast of Karachi are all aimed for the elite of the society. They are speculative developments through which the government and private development authorities aim to gain profits. According to Architect/ urban planner Arif Hasan “Karachi has lost all its multi-class recreational and entertainment places. Saddar, the old town institutional and community buildings and spaces, cinemas, have all gone. They have been the victims of massive environmental degradation, absence of social and cultural considerations in urban planning, and elite that has chosen to ghettoize itself out of fear and ignorance and in the process it has usurped the city’s natural assets for its own benefit. Clifton Beach has been an exception to this, but not any more.
The DHA occupied beach can be given back its multi-class environment without adversely affecting the facilities and ambiance that the DHA has provided. Chabbri walas and vendors can be provided special spaces within which they can operate and areas can be reserved for bunder and snake ka tamashas. If the poor and rich cannot share public space, then we are heading for major conflicts similar to those in Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro and the rich will be as much the victims as the poor.”[11]
Development needs to benefit majority of the citizens of a society. In the case of Karachi this majority happens to be the people residing in the Katchi Abadis and belonging to the low income group. But unfortunately the so called ‘development’ projects in our city ignore the stake of this large section of the society which in the case of the water front developments is ‘recreation’.
[1] Hasan, Sabahat. Seafront development as a recreational spot for public at Clifton beach, NED. November 2004, pg 94. [2] Hasan, Sabahat. Seafront development as a recreational spot for public at Clifton beach, NED. November 2004, pg 94.
[3] ibid
[4] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
[5] As established though surveys at Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University of Engineering & Technology, 2007
[6] Interview with Architect Arif Hasan
[7] As established through surveys
[8] As established though surveys at Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University of Engineering & Technology, 2007
[9] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
[10] Ardeshir Cowasjee (February 19, 2006) Daily Dawn, Karachi
[11] Hasan (2005) “Clifton Beach: Ghariboon ka Sahil, Ameeron ka Sahil” Karachi
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