Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

equirements of the growing population rather than growth of affordability
driven expansions. As a direct result thereof, leaving aside a few developers,
this vital state function has been abdicated to real estate agents; the more
organised and fortunate amongst the society resorted to housing cooperatives
with DHAs in the lead; many proved inadequate in view of the sharp mismatch in
supply of and demand for developed housing sites as well as emergence of
opportunists and ‘qabza’ groups patronised under local influentials with all the
attendant consequences. As ‘Kacthi abadi’ culture flourished as a ‘benign
dispensation’ for most vulnerable exposed under the paradigm of ‘affordability’
and allowed to live under ‘hewers of wood and drawers of water’, as a shortcut
having no other viable option; be it ad-hoc appointees in education and health
sectors, frequently regularized sans due process mandated by articles 4 and 25;
in irrigation sector, posting of personnel rendered surplus after abolition of posts/
departments, by absorbing against jobs inconsistent with their professional
credentials did not raise any eyebrows. As enforcement lagged in every field, rule
of law suffered and corruption multiplied by the hour as an end product to haunt
many, so much so that even laws protected under First schedule of the
constitution for removal of illegal possessions of state properties and host of
other laws listed earlier could not be invoked: routine conversion of plots / estates
in residential localities into commercial centres continue to compound the traffic
congestion in urban centres besides creating extreme pressure on essential civic
infrastructure of schools and hospitals. Recently the CDA has managed to
secure thousands of Kanals of its land, worth tens of billions, from unauthorized
occupants after the apex Court issued orders under Suo moto jurisdiction. The
state needs to revisit its basic responsibilities too.
78. The largest damage to public sector infrastructure was suffered by the
Transport and Communication sector. Complaints of human interventions has
also been voiced and the NHA was directed to apprise the Commission about
such breaches in road network in various provinces and the estimated losses;
including the reasons for overtopping of M-I motorway.
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