Guide
Hawksbay Scheme 42: Status, Authority and Buyer Risk
By Maham Imtiaz
Real Estate AnalystVerified author
11 min read
Hawksbay Scheme 42 is Karachi's longest-running unfinished housing scheme. Started by KDA in the 1980s on the coast west of the city, transferred to the Lyari Development Authority in 1996, and balloted again in 2008, it has tens of thousands of allottees who have paid for plots they still cannot build on. In July 2026, the Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee ordered an inquiry into why development, possession and leases were still incomplete more than three decades on.
For buyers, Hawksbay is a case where the file and the ground tell different stories. Our guide on how to verify property in Karachi explains that a plot must be checked on paper and on site, and in Hawksbay a valid allotment can still point to an undeveloped, unleased or disputed piece of land.
This guide sets out who controls Hawksbay, what the official and reported figures say, where development stands, the court restraints and overlapping claims, what official values show, and the checks to make before buying a Hawksbay plot or file.
Who controls Hawksbay
| Period | Authority | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 to 1985 | KDA | Scheme started; possession of the land handed to KDA in December 1985 |
| 1990s | KDA | Plots balloted; KDA collected about Rs700 million from allottees between 1992 and 1995, according to a 2003 report |
| 11 January 1996 | Lyari Development Authority | Scheme transferred by notification; KDA did not pay the residual development amount |
| 2001 to 2011 | City government, then the revived authority | Authority merged and later restored |
| 2008 | Lyari Development Authority | Development restarted; about 9,000 plots of 240 and 400 square yards balloted |
| July 2026 | Sindh PAC | Inquiry ordered into incomplete development, possession and leases |
The Lyari Development Authority holds Hawksbay's allotment, transfer, dues and lease records. A Hawksbay plot is not verified with KDA, even though KDA started the scheme.
The figures do not agree
Hawksbay's basic numbers vary widely between sources, which is itself a warning.
| Measure | Figures reported | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 6,243 acres | Official account at the PAC, 2026 |
| Area | About 11,450 acres of development area within about 20,700 acres of controlled area | Authority's figures cited in 2014 and 2016 reports |
| Plots | 29,462 residential plots allotted by KDA | 2003 report |
| Plots | About 54,380 plots balloted from 1990 to 2008 | Authority's website, cited in 2016 |
| Plots | About 75,000 plots in 71 sectors, 80 to 400 square yards | Political party statement, 2026 |
| Money collected | About Rs700 million by KDA, 1992 to 1995 | 2003 report |
| Money collected | More than Rs605 million | Official account at the PAC, 2026 |
| KDA's unpaid residual | Rs477.889 million | 2003 report |
| KDA's unpaid funds | Rs47 crore (Rs470 million) | Authority, as cited in 2026 |
The KDA residual is the one figure that stays roughly consistent across two decades: about Rs470 million to Rs478 million that the authority says it never received to finish development.
Development status
| Item | Position reported |
|---|---|
| Overall development | About 70%, including sewerage, water lines, roads and demarcation, according to the 2026 PAC account |
| Journalists' Colony | Infrastructure in Blocks 2, 3 and 3-A reported finished |
| Main water line | Installed in 2008 at about Rs250 million, but reported in 2026 as not connected to a water source |
| Electricity and water in most sectors | Reported largely absent in 2026 |
| Cost to complete | Estimated at about Rs30 billion, according to a 2026 statement |
| Leases | A 2025 lease issuance plan was announced but not carried out by year-end |
| Commercial auction | Planned for 2025; not held by year-end; still planned in 2026 |
| New project | A 25-acre housing project announced in 2026 |
The official 70% figure and allottees' reports of absent services are hard to reconcile. Buyers should treat the block, not the scheme average, as the unit that matters.
Court restraints and overlapping claims
Parts of Hawksbay's land are under court restraint. Supreme Court orders in 2008 and 2009 restrained the creation of third-party interests in Scheme 42 land. In a 2018 order, the Sindh High Court order in Suits 533 of 2016 and 858 of 2017 noted that registrations made after the Supreme Court's February 2009 order appeared to conflict with it, and restrained entries and registrations on disputed survey numbers in Deh Lal Bakhar.
| Claim or dispute | Risk to a buyer |
|---|---|
| Court restraint on survey numbers | A sale or registration on that land may be invalid |
| Possession-based claims in Deh Lal Bakhar | Officials decided in 1996 not to entertain them, but disputes continued |
| Encroachment and informal sales | Parts of the land reportedly occupied and sold by encroachers |
| Karachi Port Trust coastal claims | KPT has asserted jurisdiction over coastal areas and filed suits, creating overlapping claims |
What allottees have experienced
| Year | What allottees reported |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Allottees who had paid more than 70% of the cost had no physical possession |
| 2016 | Many allottees had paid instalments but still lacked possession |
| April 2018 | Allottees from the 2008 ballot, many fully paid, said there had been no development in a decade and that market offers were half what they had paid |
| January 2026 | Most allottees still could not build on or occupy their plots, according to a political party statement |
| July 2026 | PAC ordered an inquiry |
Our guide to the Malir and Lyari development authorities places Hawksbay alongside MDA's schemes and shows the same pattern of fast sales and slow delivery.
What official values show
| FBR row | Residential open plot, per sq ft | Commercial open plot, per sq ft | Flats, per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks Bay | Rs700 | Rs1,500 | Rs1,250 |
| Baldia Town | Rs500 | Rs900 | Rs950 |
| Kiamari | Rs1,100 | Rs4,250 | Rs1,700 |
| Mauripur | Rs1,100 | Rs4,250 | Rs1,700 |
The FBR's official value is a floor for tax purposes, not a market price. In an undeveloped scheme, the realistic resale value of a file can fall below what the original allottee paid, as the 2018 allottees reported.
Buyer risk scorecard
| Risk | Level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plot not developed | High | Services reported absent in most sectors |
| No possession | High | Possession withheld for decades in many blocks |
| No lease | High | Lease issuance plan not carried out |
| Court restraint | Medium to high | Depends on survey number |
| Encroachment | Medium to high | Depends on block |
| Overlapping KPT claim | Medium | Coastal areas only |
| Unclear dues | Medium | Old and new charges may both apply |
The safest Hawksbay purchase is a plot in a block with completed infrastructure, physical possession and an issued lease, on a survey number with no court restraint. Few plots meet all four tests.
How to verify a Hawksbay plot or file
- Confirm the Lyari Development Authority holds the file, with allotment number, block, sector and plot number.
- Trace the chain from the original allottee, including any KDA-era allotment, through every transfer.
- Ask for a dues statement covering old KDA-era and current charges.
- Ask whether a lease has been issued. If not, you are buying an allotment, not leased title.
- Check the survey number and deh with the Board of Revenue and search for court restraints, especially in Deh Lal Bakhar.
- Visit the plot and confirm demarcation, access and that nobody occupies it.
- Check services in the block: roads, water, sewerage and power.
- Price the plot as undelivered unless possession and a lease exist.
Possession is the step most Hawksbay files fail. Our guide on how to verify whether a property has actual possession explains how to confirm it on the ground.
What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings
Completing Hawksbay would cost about Rs400,000 per plot. Rs30 billion ÷ 75,000 plots = about Rs400,000 per plot, on the 2026 estimate and plot count.
The collected money covers about 2% of that. Rs605 million ÷ Rs30 billion = about 2% of the estimated completion cost.
KDA's unpaid residual has stayed near Rs470 million for over 20 years. Rs477.889 million in 2003 against Rs470 million cited in 2026: a difference of about 1.7%.
The 2008 ballot winners have waited 18 years. 2026 − 2008 = 18 years without general possession or leases.
The 2008 water line has been idle for about 18 years. About Rs250 million spent in 2008 on a line reported in 2026 as not connected to a source.
A 120-yard Hawksbay plot is worth Rs756,000 on paper. 120 square yards = 1,080 square feet × Rs700 = Rs756,000. A 400-yard plot: 3,600 × Rs700 = Rs2.52 million.
Reported plot counts vary by about 2.5 times. 75,000 ÷ 29,462 = about 2.5 times between the 2026 and 2003 figures.
Checklist before you pay
| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| File held by the Lyari Development Authority | Authority's land department |
| Allotment and transfer chain, including KDA-era papers | Lyari Development Authority |
| Dues statement | Lyari Development Authority |
| Lease issued | Lyari Development Authority and sub-registrar |
| Survey number free of court restraint | Board of Revenue and Sindh High Court |
| Plot vacant and demarcated | Site visit |
| Services in the block | Site visit |
| Not in a KPT-claimed coastal strip | Karachi Port Trust and lawyer |
Frequently asked questions
Q1. Who controls Hawksbay Scheme 42?
A. The Lyari Development Authority, since a notification of 11 January 1996 transferred it from KDA.
Q2. Is Hawksbay Scheme 42 developed?
A. Officials told the Sindh PAC in 2026 that about 70% of development was complete, but allottees and other reports say services are absent in most sectors. Check the specific block.
Q3. Have Hawksbay leases been issued?
A. A lease issuance plan was announced in 2025 but not carried out by year-end. Confirm whether a lease exists for any plot before buying.
Q4. Why did the PAC order an inquiry?
A. In July 2026, the committee ordered an inquiry because development was incomplete, plots had not been handed over and leases had not been issued, despite more than Rs605 million collected.
Q5. Is there a court restraint on Hawksbay land?
A. Supreme Court orders in 2008 and 2009 restrained third-party interests in Scheme 42 land, and the Sindh High Court in 2018 restrained entries on disputed survey numbers in Deh Lal Bakhar.
Q6. How many plots are in Hawksbay?
A. Figures range from about 29,462 to about 75,000, depending on the source and year. Ask the Lyari Development Authority for the current number in your sector.
Q7. What is the official value of a Hawksbay plot?
A. The FBR values Hawks Bay residential open plots at Rs700 per square foot. Resale prices for undeveloped files can be much lower than amounts allottees paid.
This guide is for general information. Hawksbay's status, figures and court restraints change, and buyers should verify every allotment, lease, survey number and court order with the Lyari Development Authority, the Board of Revenue and a qualified lawyer before paying.