Malir and Lyari Development Authorities: Taiser Town, Shah Latif Town and Northern Schemes

Most affordable plots in Karachi's public schemes come from two authorities: the Malir Development Authority (MDA) and the Lyari Development Authority (Lyari DA). Between them they hold Taiser Town Scheme 45, Shah Latif Town Scheme 25-A, the New Malir Housing Scheme and Hawksbay Scheme 42. These are the schemes where ordinary families have queued in ballots for decades, and where a fully paid plot can still be years away from possession.

That last point is why these authorities need their own guide. Our master guide on how to verify property in Karachi shows that every Karachi property has a land layer, a building layer and a title layer. In MDA and Lyari DA schemes, the land layer carries a risk that KDA's older schemes rarely do: the paperwork can be clean while the plot itself is undeveloped, encroached or still waiting for a lease.

This guide explains what each authority controls, the status of their main schemes, how possession and ballots work, how MDA plots compare with KDA plots, and what to check before paying for any file in these schemes.

Two authorities, one pattern

Both were created by Sindh in 1993 to plan Karachi's growth corridors, absorbed into the city government during the 2001 devolution, and later restored. Both follow the same pattern: plots sold quickly through ballots, development and possession delivered slowly. Neither approves buildings; that remains SBCA's job.

A note on names: in Karachi documents, "LDA" means the Lyari Development Authority, not the Lahore Development Authority.

Malir Development Authority: what it controls

MDA's mandate today is narrower than many buyers assume. In March 2024, MDA's counsel told the Sindh High Court in C.P. No. D-6804 of 2021 that the authority has no land left for fresh allocation and now works on only three schemes.

Taiser Town and Shah Latif Town were first planned by KDA and later transferred to MDA. Before verifying any file in these areas, confirm that MDA, not KDA, holds it today. A seller who is offering a "new MDA scheme" plot should be able to show an official MDA notice for it, given what MDA itself has told the court.

Taiser Town Scheme 45

Taiser Town lies across Deh Mokhi, Deh Nangan, Deh Bijar-ji-Buthi and Deh Taiser in north-eastern Karachi. MDA's own Taiser Town Scheme 45 page describes residential plots of 80, 120, 240 and 400 square yards, more than 78,391 residential plots in all, plus commercial plots and amenity sites, and a planned population of about 2.5 million.

The same page reports the scheme's development status:

For a buyer, this table matters more than the brochure. A Taiser Town plot can be fully paid for and still lack gas, bulk water and a confirmed power connection. Price the plot on what is built in its sector today.

Possession, dues and encroachment

MDA issues possession sector by sector, and only after the allottee clears outstanding dues. The process MDA has set out in its public notices runs as follows:

1. Contact the relevant MDA department to confirm arrears.
2. Pay the outstanding dues and keep the challans.
3. Obtain a possession order from MDA.
4. Take physical possession of the plot on site.
5. Only then apply to SBCA for a building plan.

Encroachment is the second half of the risk. In June 2022, MDA announced that its anti-encroachment drive had reclaimed land in Taiser Town Sectors 84, 11, 85, 38, 77, 52 and 48, and asked allottees to clear dues and take possession. In 2023, Sindh's chief secretary noted that encroachments on MDA, KDA and Lyari DA land kept returning after operations.

That makes a site visit essential, not optional. Our guide on how to verify whether a property has actual possession explains how to check boundaries, occupation and access on the ground before you pay. In MDA schemes, a possession order on paper and an empty, demarcated plot on site are two separate checks.

Shah Latif Town and New Malir Housing Scheme

Shah Latif Town Scheme 25-A is the older of MDA's two large schemes. Its main buyer issues are encroachment in some sectors and files that passed through several hands since the KDA era. Verify the full transfer chain with MDA and confirm the sector has been cleared.

New Malir Housing Scheme-1 is MDA's most developed scheme by its own reporting. Buyers there usually face fewer possession problems but should still confirm the lease, dues and sector status. Detailed guides to both schemes will follow in this series.

How MDA ballots work, and why open files are risky

Demand for MDA plots far exceeds supply. At MDA's 2019 Taiser Town ballot, more than 176,000 applications were filed for over 20,000 plots. That gap is what "guaranteed ballot" and open-file sellers exploit.

A genuine MDA plot comes through an official MDA notice, an application with fees paid to MDA's account, a public ballot and an allotment letter issued by MDA. Anything sold before the ballot, or a "file" with no allotment number, is a claim on a seller's promise, not on MDA land. A step-by-step guide to MDA ballots, instalments and refunds will follow in this series.

MDA vs KDA plots

Neither is automatically safer. A KDA plot carries a records risk; an MDA plot carries a delivery risk. Readers comparing these with prices across the city can use our Karachi property market guide for wider context.

Lyari Development Authority: what it controls

The Lyari Development Authority Act 1993 (Sindh Act No. X of 1994) gives Lyari DA power to prepare and execute housing, land and village development schemes, to sell or lease the land vested in it, to declare controlled areas where construction needs its permission, and to levy a betterment fee of up to half the rise in a property's value caused by its schemes.

Its schedule covers Union Council Gabopat, Union Council Manghopir excluding Surjani Town, and the Lyari belt of the city including Hawksbay. Plots there should be checked with Lyari DA, not KDA or MDA, and any building with SBCA.

Hawksbay Scheme 42

Hawksbay Scheme 42 is the clearest warning in Karachi's public schemes. Lyari DA launched it in 1993 as a 6,243-acre affordable housing scheme. In July 2026, the Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee ordered an inquiry after audit found the authority had collected more than Rs605 million from applicants while failing to complete development, hand over possession or issue leases.

A Lyari DA executive engineer told the committee that about 70% of development, including roads, sewerage, water lines and demarcation, was complete, with infrastructure finished in Blocks 2, 3 and 3-A of the Journalists' Colony. The committee asked how many plots had been allotted since 1993 and how many were illegally occupied.

Check with Lyari DA before paying for a Hawksbay file: the allotment, the transfer chain, whether a lease has been issued, and the development status of the specific block. Do not pay a premium on the promise of future possession.

What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings

Taiser Town has a plot for every 32 future residents. 2,500,000 ÷ 78,391 = about 32 people per residential plot. That density depends on utilities MDA says it has not yet funded, including gas and bulk water.

Hawksbay collected about Rs97,000 per acre and delivered no leases. Rs605 million ÷ 6,243 acres = about Rs96,900 per acre. 2026 − 1993 = 33 years since launch, with roughly 30% of development still outstanding.

Each Taiser Town ballot winner beat about eight others. 176,000 ÷ 20,000 = about 8.8 applicants per plot, which is why fake ballot and open-file offers keep returning.

Checklist before you pay

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is the Malir Development Authority?

A. A Sindh government body created under the Malir Development Authority Act 1993 that runs Taiser Town Scheme 45, Shah Latif Town Scheme 25-A and New Malir Housing Scheme-1.

Q2. Does MDA have land for new plots?

A. MDA told the Sindh High Court in March 2024 that it has no land left for fresh allocation and works on only its three existing schemes.

Q3. How do I get possession of a Taiser Town plot?

A. Clear outstanding dues with MDA, obtain a possession order, then take physical possession on site before applying to SBCA for a building plan.

Q4. Is Taiser Town fully developed?

A. No. MDA reports about 70% overall progress, with gas not supplied and the bulk water system not yet installed.

Q5. What is the Lyari Development Authority?

A. A Sindh authority created under the Lyari Development Authority Act 1993 for Gabopat, Manghopir and the Lyari belt, including Hawksbay Scheme 42.

Q6. What is the status of Hawksbay Scheme 42?

A. In July 2026, the Sindh PAC ordered an inquiry into the scheme, launched in 1993, over undelivered development, possession and leases.

Q7. Is an MDA plot safer than a KDA plot?

A. Neither is automatically safer. KDA plots carry records and amenity risks; MDA plots carry possession, encroachment and utility risks.

Q8. Who approves houses in MDA and Lyari DA schemes?

A. SBCA approves building plans and completion plans in both authorities' schemes.

This guide is for general information. Scheme status, dues and procedures change, and buyers should verify every allotment, possession order, lease and building approval directly with MDA, Lyari DA, SBCA and a qualified lawyer before paying.

Sources

• Lyari Development Authority Act 1993 (Sindh Act No. X of 1994), Government of Sindh
• Sindh PAC orders inquiry into Hawksbay Scheme 42, Associated Press of Pakistan, July 2026