URBAN RESOURCE CENTRE Activity Report, January June 2015

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1.0 Highlights

Sindh government has introduced a law which permits the demolition of Katchi Abadis (low income settlements) for commercial development. URC is monitoring the implementation of law and URC will organize and mobilize communities in case this law is used to displaced poor communities.

URC holds regular discussion forums on major urban issues; during this period four discussion forums were held on Road Safety, Solid Waste Plan, Control and Contestation of Space and Traffic Management.

URC started monitoring two major proposed projects of the government for Bus Rapid Transit System in Karachi and solid waste management plan.

URC shared its concerns and views on government’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit System in Karachi and solid waste management plan.

Formation of a coalition of civil society organizations for right to access information on government plans for development.

A coalition of civil society organization requested legal action to fix responsibility for heat wave deaths in Karachi.

URC regularly attended Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) hearings and reports of shared at URC web site.

URC OPP–RTI collaboration continued for Awaran earthquake Rehabilitation Project. Under this collaboration 350 one room shelters were constructed in Awaran.

URC also initiated a process to highlight issues and problems of pedestrians in the city.

The news clippings compilation on 16 subjects from 5 daily news papers has been updated up to June 2015.

URC also printed two booklets during this reporting period.

A number of news articles and stories published in various newspapers related to URC work.

2 2.0 Eviction Watch and Housing Rights Program

Evictions in Karachi;

The government of Sindh has introduced a law under which a board was formed. This board is called “Sindh Special Development Board” According to this law the land of katchi abadis (settlements of poor communities) could be bulldozed and their land would be given to any builder for commercial development.

URC investigations found that the government is planning to mark a number of settlements in Karachi for redevelopment. This plan would mean the demolition of Katchi Abadis located on prime land of the city. Such land will be handed over to builders and developers by dislocating poor communities.

URC along with poor communities is opposing implementation of any such plans. The law has in other words has given a legal cover to the forced evictions in the city.

URC is monitoring the implantation of law. URC will organize and mobilize communities in case any forced evictions will take place in Karachi.

URC is also working on the following issues link with the forced evictions.

 Supporting the communities to lobby for extension of the cut date for land titles (awarding ownership) of informal settlements.  Developing a better resettlement policy for poor communities.

Supporting the communities to lobby for extension of the cut date for land titles (awarding ownership) of informal settlements: URC has been lobbying to extend cut date of regularization for the katchi abadis. This extension will secure more settlements from forced evictions. There are many settlements, which remain under the threat of forced evictions as they do not qualify for land tittles due cut date restrictions. Through URC’s effort an amendment bill has already move to the government for extension of cut date. But current security conditions in the city are hampering its approval, as many politicians fear some of these settlements are security threats for the city.

Developing a better resettlement policy for poor communities: URC continues its follow up for a better resettlement policy. There are two cases (Lyari Expressway and Karachi circular railway) are being followed for policy change dialogues.

3 Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) resettlement plan:

The follow up of the proposed Karachi Circular Railway project showed that the government is unable to received financial support for this project. Therefore the implementation of the KCR project has stopped. So the communities are not facing immediate threat of evictions.

URC will keep an eye on the KCR project and communities will be informed if there is any further development on this project.

3.0 URC Forums

To encourage interaction between different development sectors of the city, regular forums are held at URC, where various groups come in contact with each other. This promotes collective thinking, decision making and actions on major urban issues. URC documents and prints the proceedings of these forums regularly.

During the current reporting period, the following forums were held:

URC forum “An overview of the Road Safety Issues in Karachi – A Way Forward”

This forum was held on 29th April 2015 at URC office. Mr. Abdul Qadir Bullo, chairman, Social Research and Development Organization (SRDO) made a detail presentation on Road Safety issues of the city. The discussion highlighted lack of proper safety measures are major reasons for increasing number of the road accidents. The participants of the forum stressed that there is a need to raise awareness on road safety issues.

URC forum on “Proposed Solid Waste Plans for Karachi – An overview”

This forum was held on 25th March 2015 at URC office. Mr. Roshan Ali Shaikh, managing director, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board made a detail presentation on government proposed plans for the management and disposal of solid waste in major cities of Sindh. According to Mr. Shaikh the proposed plan will help to improve environment condition.

The participants of the forum took part in the discussion and question answer session.

4 URC forum on “Control and contestation of space and emerging safety and security issues in Karachi”.

This forum was held on 6th March 2015 at URC office. Professor Dr. Noman Ahmed, Architect Soha Macktoom and Architect Syeda Hira Sadiq, presented their research study findings in this forum. According to the findings of the research study the security situation in the city has a major impact on space planning. Individuals and institutions are making extra arrangements to secure their premises. These arrangements also create problems for common men.

The presentation was followed by a detail discussion on relationship of security and space planning.

URC forum on “Initiatives to Improve Traffic Management and Control in Karachi”

This forum was held on 11th February 2015 at URC Office. Dr. Sulman Shaikh, additional deputy Inspector general Sindh Traffic Police made a presentation on this subject. He explained various initiatives taken by the traffic police to improve traffic management in the city.

The participants of the forum also shared their views on this occasion.

4.0 Act as a watch group on major urban issues

URC plays the role of a `watchdog' group in the city's planning and development scene. In this respect, it has worked on a number of issues, currently it is involved with the following:  Transport and Traffic Management in Karachi  Karachi Rapid Bus Transit System  Road Safety issues in Karachi  Right to Information  Solid Waste Management  Heat wave deaths in Karachi  Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

The details of some current involvements are explained in the following pages:

Transport and Traffic Management in Karachi

URC has been focusing on the issue of transport and traffic management in Karachi. URC is more interested in an efficient and cost effective transport system for the city, which would benefit poor commuters directly.

5 A study on transport issues of Karachi city

A detail research study report is now available at URC. The study highlights major issues and problems of public transport system in the city. The study report was also circulated to all stakeholders for their feedback. The document of this study provides basis for lobbying and advocacy for policy changes to improve transport facilities in the city.

Mobility issues of women:

To understand women’s perspective and nature of the problems URC has conducted detail investigations. These investigations showed the mobility issues of women adversely effects women’s livelihood patterns. Lack of transport facilities are major reasons for reducing their chances for better jobs and education. Other problems women face during travelling include long hours of waiting, increasing travelling costs, and harassment.

URC is focusing on policy changes to create better understanding on women mobility issues.

Karachi Rapid Bus Transit System

The government is planning to build Rapid Bus Transit System (BRTS) in Karachi. Under this plan government is proposing to build bus lanes on various corridors of the city. URC is following up the developments of proposed BRTS for Karachi. URC also raised its concerns in different stakeholder meetings held in this regards. URC major concerns include:

 The proposed BRTS should be integrated system and also incorporate the existing transport system.  It should be cost effective and affordable to all, particularly poor communities.  It should be at grade and should not over shadow the historic heritage of the city.  It should not degrade city’s environment and create pollution.  It should not involve any forced evictions and displacement of livelihoods.

These concerns were presented to the architects of the BRTS and there is very positive response to tackle these issues in the final proposal.

URC will monitor the development of this proposed plan.

6 Road Safety issues in Karachi

URC has been analyzing road accident data, which indicates the numbers of road accidents are increasing in Karachi city. Therefore URC is also focusing on road safety issues in Karachi. Currently URC is conducting further studies to understand the road safety issues and problems of pedestrians. During current reporting period URC prepared a research paper on utilization pedestrian bridges and problems link with their usage. This paper will soon be published and will be available at URC.

URC will also prepare papers on conditions of footpaths and other facilities link with road safety.

URC is also working to build a working collaboration with organizations, which are working on traffic and road safety issues.

Right to Information

The civil society organizations and concerned citizens formed a coalition for freedom of information. The Coalition is called ‘Coalition for Transparency and Access to Information (C-TAI)’. The basic purpose of the Coalition is to lobby for right to access information. URC is also part of this coalition.

During current reporting period a number of consultative sessions were held among these civil society organizations to finalize a draft of the Sindh Right to Information (RTI) Bill, 2015. The primary features of the proposed law included maximum disclosure, limited exceptions, reduction in response time, minimum charges, introduction of indemnity clause to protect information seekers and ordaining magistracy powers to the Information Commissioner to summon petitioners and defendants.

The coalition partners believed the new law would enable transparency and good governance. The right to information was guaranteed by article 19-A of the constitution. However, the present law was misused by public officials to prevent information disclosure under the restriction clauses.

C-TAI, the RTI advocacy coalition members included, The Helpline Trust, District Hindu Panchayat Committee, Indus Earth, Shirkatgah, Aurat Foundation, Hisaar Foundation, Transparency International - Pakistan, Baanhn Beli, Sustainable Initiatives, Bolo Bhi, Sindh Community Foundation, Pakistan Press Foundation, War Against Rape, NOW Communities, URC, SPDC, SAIBAN, SCOPE, PILER, SPO, SAFWCO and Shehri-CBE.

The coalition is advocating and lobbying for the replacement of existing law with new law and promoting much simple ways to access information on government projects and plans.

7 Solid Waste Management

Recently the Sindh Government has constituted Sindh Solid Waste Management Board. The board has proposed a new waste management plan for Karachi as well as other cities of Sindh. To understand the proposed plan URC has invited managing director (MD) of the board to present the proposed plan at URC forum. The MD has made a detail presentation at URC. The basic element of the proposed plan is to privatize the entire waste management and collection system.

URC representatives also attended stakeholder consultative meetings of the proposed plan. The major concern of URC is the proposed privatization plan would affect livelihood of existing sanitary workers. URC also feels the proposed plan will also adversely affect informal recycling units, which provides employment to many poor families.

URC will continue to monitor the development of the project.

Heat wave deaths in Karachi

During last week of June 2015 over 1200 people died as aggressive heat waves lashed across the city.

URC and several other civil society organizations and individuals had filed in a joint legal petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC). The petition have demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the exact reasons, number of heat wave deaths and other losses incurred, as well as fixing responsibility on persons, including government officials and departments for failing to take preventive, curative steps to reduce the losses.

The petition impeded the federal and provincial governments, K-Electric, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), the Pakistan Meteorological Department and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as respondents.

URC will follow up this petition in the court of law with collaboration of other civil society organizations.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

URC representatives regularly attend Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) hearings organized by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency.

The EIA reports are now being posted at URC web site for wide circulation.

8 URC will analyze the EIA reports and will inform the communities if any of these mega projects involve any kind of dislocation or other impacts on poor communities.

5.0 Awaran Earthquake rehabilitation Program

In September 2014 URC started a new collaboration of partnership with Orangi Pilot Project – Research & Training Institute (OPP-RTI) to continue its support for shelter program to the victims of earthquake in Awaran.

The one room, one family and one roof shelter support is a hut constructed by the poor earthquake victim families. Under this program the poor families are constructing the walls of their huts and get support for roofing materials. The walls are made of mud, stone and braced with bamboos frame inside walls. The walls were built by the community through their own labour as mud and stone available in these villages. Almost every house has an attached bathroom. The families further prepare the front open spaces of the houses for day and night activities.

The roofing materials supported by the project include steel beams, bamboos, ropes and palm leaf mats. These materials are provided through project support to each selected family. The distribution process of roofing materials for shelter is a community led process, this includes the following steps:

Survey / Visit  Selection of villages for support by community activists  Selection and preparing list of families  Mobilization of the families to start construction work  Provision roofing materials and erection of roofs  Monitoring and completion reports

URC is playing the role of facilitator and a network of community activists is managing this entire process of rehabilitation work. The roofing materials were transported from Karachi to a central location in Awaran. Each family collects their roofing material from this central place through their own transport onwards. Apart from palm leaf mats, the community used to spread leaves of wild palm trees (called Peesh) on roof tops, this makes roof light weight, water proof and assures safety of human lives from earthquake jolts. This also provides decent accommodation to protect poor families from heat and cold waves as well as rains. As mud walls, mats and wild palm leaves roofs act as heat insulator.

Since September 2014 construction of 350 houses has been completed through OPP-RTI and Misereor support.

9 6.0 Networking and exchange

Strengthening Community Based Organizations: NGOs and CBOs from different parts of Karachi city are in regular contact with URC. Information is shared with them on a number of issues that are relevant to the problems they have identified themselves. URC also inter-links community based organizations with other NGOs, Government, Media and Academics working in the same field.

Community Development Network (CDN)

The 39th Community Development Network (CDN) was held on 14th March 2015 at Awa Foundation in Ghotki Sindh. The partner organizations attended the meeting to share and exchange their working experiences.

This is a national network of partner organizations. The CDN meetings provide an opportunity to members to understand each other’s work and to observe partners work on site, as the venue of the meeting is rotated among partners. Members discuss various development issues and trends.

Partners from various organizations presented new developments in their work, expansion of work, link up with government programs.

Perween Rehman Fellowship (PRF) Program

The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) has launched the Perween Rahman Fellowship (PRF). Its aim is to support young architects, planners, engineers, local builders and artisans who are working with the poor.

After successful complition of the first batch of fellowship for the year 2014. Now the communittee has announced the second batch of fellows for the year 2015. This year 15 fellows from 10 countries have received this awarad including two fellows from Pakistan.

Urban Resource Centre is focal point for networking and interaction for PRF Program in Pakistan. Regular meetings were held at URC to review and monitor implantation of the fellowship program in Pakistan.

Joint Action Committee (JAC)

URC is also a part of an NGO Network called Joint Action Committee (JAC). This is a coalition of NGOs in Karachi. The JAC is working on gender and human

10 rights issues. This network holds regular meetings, seminars, workshops, public demos and interactions on gender and human rights issues.

Some recent focus issues of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) were:  Heat wave deaths in Karachi  Forced conversion of the religion  Misusing Blasphemy Law  Gender and human right issues

The JAC provides a larger platform to raise some more important issues of the common interest for the policy dialogue.

Network of communities against forced evictions

URC has been working with two community networks, which were facing eviction threats i. Network of communities affected by Lyari expressway project ii. Network of communities living along railway tracks of Karachi. The government has stopped work on both of these projects (Lyari Expressway and Karachi Circular Railway). Therefore these communities are not facing immediate threat of forced evictions. URC is in touch with these communities and in case of any further development on these projectsm URC will forward the information to these communities.

7.0 Youth Training Program

The program provides an opportunity to under and fresh graduates from universities and low-income settlements to involve themselves in the activities of URC and develop their orientation towards the changing realities of the urban context. To provide an incentive to the youth, more informal techniques are adopted during the training, which are based on field visits and self-learning. The URC staff supervises and guides their activities.

Currently 2 students are doing their internships at URC. URC also arranges organizational orientation lectures for the students. During current reporting period the following orientation lectures were held.

Organizational Exposure Session for the students of Habib University’s School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences:

This Organizational Exposure Session was held on 7th April 2015, at Habib University ( HU) campus. URC representative made a detail presentation and URC’s background, scope, and work of Urban Resource Centre was shared with the students. After presentation the students also took part in discussion on various urban issues in the city.

11 Organizational Exposure Session for the students of University of Karachi Visual Arts and Architecture Department:

This Organizational Exposure Session was held on 19th May 2015 at URC office. The students of 4th year architecture class attended this session. A detail presentation was made on URC’s work and background. The discussion was followed by a discussion on urban issues of the city.

These organization exposure sessions were instrumental to develop their understanding on vital urban issues and motivate them to dedicate their time for social development.

8.0 Research

URC continues its research and documentation activities on urban issues. Recently it has completed a detail study on transport issues of the city. Now URC has started conducting a study on issues and problems of the pedestrians in Karachi. The problems of pedestrian will be compiled in papers for the policy changes. This will also help to lobby with the government to provide more facilities for the people who want to walk.

9.0 Publications

Proceedings of the Forums

During the current period the proceeding of the following forums were printed: Proceedings of four forums were printed. These include:

 Control and contestation of space and emerging safety and security issues in Karachi by Dr Noman Ahmad

 An over view on shrinking transport facilities in the city, by Mr. S Irshad Hussain Bukharai,

Some recently published forums proceedings:

 Weapomization and its impact on violence by Mr. Naeem Sadiq  Karachi Mass Transit – An overview by Mr Rashid Mughal

12 Some of selected news articles published in various news papers related to URC work:

 When the calamity struck daily The News 28th June 2015.  Horrid days for city’s commuters come in pairs, dail The News 28th May 2015.  Wait for your licence: Karachi traffic police conduct sessions to discourage underage drivers Daily Tribune 15th May 2015  Develop slums before developing Karachi, daily Pakistan Today 14 May 2015  Lessons from history: The evolution, or degradation, of Karachi’s transport system, Daily Tribune 4th May 2015  Nuclear plants public hearing process termed ‘farce’, Daily Dawn 24th April 2015  Call for using Thar coal instead of ‘dangerous nuclear energy’, Daily The News 24th April 2015  Road Block and security issues, daily Jang mid week magazine 15th April 2015  What the Hitchhiking Women of Moach Goth Can Teach the Sindh Government, Friday Times 3 April 2015  Workshop on Sindh Right to Information Bill held, Daily The News 30 March 2015  Solid matter: A better way to manage your waste, Daily Tribune 26th March 2015  Solid Waste Management daily Express 27th March 2015  Access denied: The incredible shrinking Karachi that is scared of itsel, Daily Tribune 8 March 2015  On the road: Traffic dept makes it easy for commuters to navigate, Daily Tribune, 13 February 2015  KARACHI CHRONICLE: Roads have so fewer buses, daily Business Recorder, 7th February 2015  The links of these news articles can be access from: http://urckhi.tumblr.com/

Facts & Figures (monthly facts sheet)

URC compiles a monthly newsletter “Facts & Figures” (both Urdu & English). The Newsletter contains selected news clippings and articles on urban issues. During current reporting period six more issues of this newsletter were circulated.

13 10.0 Documentation

News Clippings Major articles under each heading have been compiled into dossiers (sorted and separated heading-wise files) and updated up to June 2015. URC has been collecting news clippings and articles and providing facilities for different cross sections of the society since 1991. Mainly researchers, students, journalists, academicians, institutions and libraries purchase these clipping files.

The news clippings from Daily Jang, Daily Express, Daily Dawn, The News and Express Tribune are being collected. The news clippings are being collected on the following subjects;

 Transport and Traffic  Eviction and Encroachment Management  Beaches, Parks and  Housing & Land Management plantations  Health  Water Supply  Education  Sewerage  Environment  Solid Waste Management,  Economics Electricity,  Law & Order  CDGK & Local Body System  Lyari Expressway and  Urban Services

A list of all documentation is available at URC.

URC Library

The URC library has more than 5,000 government reports, books, research papers, magazines and newsletters on urban issues in general and on Karachi in particular. The researchers, students, journalists, community activists and training groups widely use URC library facilities.

Website

URC web extending the outreach of its information dissemination. The web address is www.urckarachi.org. The website is being updated on a regular basis.

14 URC on face book

URC circulates current information and news clippings on city development through face book page on regular basis.

URC block on Tumblr blog

URC is posting all news articles and updates related to its work on tumblr page.The link is http://urckhi.tumblr.com/

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