What is Wrong With Our Sukkur City

7/31/2019 What is Wrong With Our Sukkur City

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What is wrongwith our Sukkurcity

By MuhammadShahid Mughal

A friend of mineasked me a

question, is thiscity or hell?

Seeing high rise buildings without parking,

damaged roads, no proper walkways,running traffic and pedestrians on same

lane, encroachment on both sides of roadby hawkers and property owners, heavy

traffic jam, severe pollution, fightingbetween drivers and pedestrians and

abusing each other and system. Myfriends question did not surprise me as

every resident of Sukkur city is asking thesame question from each other, lament onthe situation and poor governance. People

spend hours and hours discussing thisawful condition of the city and at the end

up with big sigh - wish one day our citylooks like other gorgeous city in the world.

Not sure when it will be possible, when ourcity will have a better environment where

people could play, works live and enjoysthe quality of life.

Sukkur is third largest city of the Sindhprovince, with population of 850,000. It is

a main hub of business activities of Sindh.


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Being Urban Services Area, city attracts

people from whole region for health,educational, employment and businessopportunities.

Indeed, Sukkur is blessed with air, water,river and land, rich history and strategiclocation. Unfortunately, improper planning

and lack of will have distorted the pictureof whole city, presenting like concrete

ungle, which has created great frustrationand disappointment for its residents.

In fact within a decade city expandedincredibly and property prices are

rocketing, a simple apartment price atQueens Road, Bunder Road or in a society

will be between 20 to 60 lacs. Oldbuildings are knocking down and

rebuilding into high-rises. However,irrational planning and designing have

created alarming situation, as four to tenstories high rise building established onnarrow roads considering without parking

need fire fighting arrangement and properventilation system. Queens Road, Mission

Road, Dhak Road and Bunder Roadportray such an irrational and

unsustainable planning. Eighty percent

built environment is based on mixed landuses, which has created a serious parking,noise and air pollution and unhealthyproblems.

Mega housing projects approved without


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conducting Traffic and Environmental

Impact assessment, analysing theavailably of proper drainage, electricity,sewage and water etc eventually which

cause sever electricity outrage anddrainage and sewage problem in the city.For example, Sukkur township located athighway, by the time of approval, no

environmental and traffic impact wereconsidered by planning agency. I believe

when housing scheme will be fullydeveloped, terrible traffic and

environmental issues will occur and thepurpose of highway will die and cause agreat headache and mental stress for the

residents of housing scheme andsurrounding area.

There is no walkway for pedestrian in the

city, if any space is left, that hasencroached by property owners and

hawkers. Commercial area and marketswithout proper parking including ClockTower, March Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar,

Shahi Bazaar, Shaheed Ganj, andGhaziabad is presenting very annoying

and terrible situation for shoppers. Thesemarkets occupy by rickshaws, cars,

delivery carts and vans do not leave any

space for pedestrians and shoppers.

Noise and air pollution have created severhealth problem, including skin disease,

eye allergy, asthma etc. There are noproper planning standards, land uses and


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zoning bylaw. High rise buildings have

been approved by unqualified andunskilled professionals in the planningagencies.

There is no updated long-term statutoryplan like Municipal Development Plan orArea Structure Plan, which provide clear

guidelines and direction for at least next10 to 20 years planning horizon of city

growth. Planning and developmentagencies like Municipal and SBCA Sindh

Building Control Authority formally calledTown Planning Department is not equippedwith qualified planners, statutory plans

and approved bylaws.

There is no public say in the planningprocess, as plans have been developed

and implemented on administrative andpolitical basis. There are no proper

standards where housing, schools,hospitals and offices should be built andalso maintain the grandfather

development. Such improper planning hasdistorted the whole beauty of the city,

hampering the quality of residents life.

In fact, sustainable development cannot

be possible unless proper, affective andefficient planning and its trueimplementation is ensured. RecentlyFebruary 18, 2011, Government of Sindh

has declared Sindh Building ControlAuthority, including Sukkur, but the SBCA


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has no teeth for development control.

There are no proper planning standards,land use map and bylaws and qualifiedplanners who develop statutory plans and

implement the long range planning.

The government should seriously considersome steps to ensure sustainable

development. The planning agency shoulddevelop: Long term statutory plan,

including Municipal Development Plan andArea Structure Plan, for long term policies

in order to ensure scientific, aesthetic, andorderly disposition of land, resources,facilities and services with a view to

securing the physical, economic and socialefficiency, health and well-being

communities. The time horizon of planshould be twenty years and revised every

five years. Develop land use and zoningbylaws so that orderly and efficient

development could be ensured andunhealthy development could bediscouraged.

In order to make the planning process

transparent, efficient and accountable,planning agency should constitute

advisory committee including heads of

department- Taluka Municipal, DCO,transportation, Public Health, Education,EPA Environmental Protection Agency,Parks etc so that the long-term plans

could be developed and developmentpermit issued by comments and feedback


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of stakeholders.

Planning process should be defined withtime framework and general public should

have access of information. Public shouldengage in planning process through openhouse, workshop and presentations, sothat the public feedback and comments

could incorporate in the plan and respecttheir wish list. Plan making process and

planning application process should bedefined and disseminate to the public

For development permit application,planning agency should install the

advertisement board on the site to informpublic and invite objections. Development

permit application should clearly stateprocessing time line, application fee and

available for public when apply fordevelopment permit or subdivision.

Planning and development agencies shouldappoint qualified planners in planning and

development departments.

I truly believe that improper planning andmismanagement are not such issues which

relates to poverty and lack of funding but

poor governance and lack of will. It is justa matter of right planning, goodgovernance and implementation which willnot possible without coordination and

strong relation among planning agency, allstakeholders and general public. Public


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should realise their right and constitute

community league in each neighborhood /Mohallah which can collectively expresstheir concern to planning and development

agencies. I just believe nothing isimpossible, so we all have to realise ourrights, raise our voice for better planningof our city where our generations could

live, work and play and grow in healthyenvironment.

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What is Wrong With Our Sukkur City