Lyari Development Authority promises ‘secure and affordable’ residential community

Affordable and safe residential societies in Karachi are always going to gain traction, because it is no secret that the city suffers from poor law and order and a massive housing shortfall. It is perhaps with these facts in mind that the Lyari Development Authority (LDA) has recently unveiled a well-planned, gated residential community in the Hawkes Bay Scheme 42 area.

The LDA claims that this 11,450-acre housing project, which is going to be built on land acquired from the now-defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA), will be a safe haven for its prospective residents, which is something the people of Karachi are in dire need of. The LDA also says the project will be affordable, and we all know that low-cost housing something that is in demand at all times and virtually everywhere.

And when the LDA says affordable, I’m pleasantly surprised to learn they actually mean it: a fully built house for just Rs 1 million, which according to the LDA director general is just 40 percent of the total cost of building said house.
The LDA Director General, Mr Agha Masood, recently organised a visit of journalists to the locality to brief them on the pace of development work. Mr Agha told reporters that the project’s infrastructure had been completed already. Water supply lines, drains, sewerage systems and grid stations have all been set up, and the important part is that the project is being watched over by police and private guards, which clearly indicates that the LDA has the locality’s security front and centre in its plans.

Mr Agha also said that the residents of Lyari were living in a congested environment. He requested them to consider shifting to the new project, which he claimed was being developed on a ‘no-profit, no-loss’ model.
If the Federal Government has not provided any funds to aid this development, it is a pity. This sort of suburban expansion is exactly what a massive, overpopulated city like Karachi needs. But kudos to the LDA for using its resources for what appears thus far to be a very worthwhile cause.

We would like to wish the authority the very best of luck with this project, and it is our hope that it manages to pull this off. If you would like to add anything to the information I have shared in this post, or if there are any questions in your mind that I can address with further research, please don’t hesitate to comment below.