MDA Encroachment Drives: Which Sectors Were Cleared and What It Means for Buyers

For an allottee in Taiser Town, a paid-up file and a possession order are only half the story. The other half is whether the plot is still empty when you arrive. The Malir Development Authority has run repeated drives to clear land grabbers, goths and illegal structures from its schemes, and the record shows which sectors have been cleared, which have been cleared more than once, and how much land is still at stake.

Encroachment sits at the point where the paper file meets the ground. Our guide on how to verify property in Karachi explains that every Karachi purchase has a land layer that must be checked on site as well as in the records, and in MDA schemes that site check is where most problems appear.

This guide collects the publicly reported MDA encroachment drives sector by sector, explains the law used to remove encroachers, sets out what a cleared sector does and does not mean for an allottee, and shows what to check before buying in any MDA sector.

The scale of the problem

These figures come from MDA statements and reporting on MDA at the time. They show why encroachment and slow possession are linked: land that sits undeveloped and unoccupied for years is the land that gets taken.

Sector by sector: the reported drives

Two other land uses also affect allottees. Reporting in 2019 found that allottees in Taiser Town Sectors 53 and 54 had paid instalments but never received allotment letters, because the land was used to resettle people displaced by the Lyari Expressway. And Sector 16's resettlement plots mean that sector is not available for ordinary allotment.

Sector 11: cleared twice

Sector 11 appears in both the April 2019 and June 2022 drives. That is the most important pattern in the record. A sector announced as cleared can be reoccupied within a few years if allottees do not take possession and build.

In 2023, Sindh's chief secretary acknowledged that encroachments on MDA, KDA and Lyari Development Authority land kept returning after operations.

The law used to remove encroachers

MDA's 2022 notices warned occupants of action under Sindh's anti-encroachment law. The Sindh Public Property (Removal of Encroachment) Act 2010 covers land owned or controlled by the government, a local council, an autonomous body or a cooperative society.

For a buyer, the last two rows matter most. If you buy from an encroacher, the law offers you no compensation when the structure is removed, and arguments about whether the land is public go to a special tribunal, not an ordinary civil court.

What "cleared" means for an allottee

MDA's June 2022 notice made the link explicit: allottees were asked to pay outstanding dues, obtain a possession order and take physical possession so construction could begin. An empty plot in a cleared sector stays at risk until someone builds on it.

Slow development is the root cause. Our hub on the Malir and Lyari Development Authorities explains how gaps in roads, water and power in these schemes keep land empty and exposed.

How to check an MDA plot for encroachment

1. Find the sector and plot number on the allotment letter and match it to MDA's sector plan.
2. Check the sector's history. Ask MDA whether the sector has been subject to encroachment, clearance or resettlement, including Sectors 11, 16, 47, 53, 54 and 56.
3. Get the possession order and demarcation from MDA for the specific plot.
4. Visit the plot with the demarcation plan and confirm it is vacant, with no walls, foundations or shacks.
5. Talk to neighbours and nearby residents about anyone claiming the land.
6. Check for goths or old settlements nearby, which may have their own claims.
7. Ask MDA whether any case is pending before a court or anti-encroachment tribunal over the sector or plot.
8. Build or secure the plot promptly after possession, if you are an end user.

Our guide on how to verify whether a property has actual possession explains what to look for on site.

What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings

MDA's 2022 target covered about a quarter of Taiser Town's notified area. 5,000 acres ÷ 20,570 acres = about 24%.

The value MDA claimed works out to Rs240 million an acre. Rs1,200 billion ÷ 5,000 acres = Rs240 million per acre, or Rs240,000,000 ÷ 4,840 = about Rs49,600 per square yard, compared with the roughly Rs1,000 per square yard MDA said it charged allottees in 2019.

Reported recoveries with acreage are a small slice of the target. Sector 11 (45 acres) + Sector 56 (16 acres) = 61 acres, about 1.2% of the 5,000-acre goal. Most drives were announced without an acreage figure.

Possession lagged far behind allotment. In 2019, 807 possessions had been handed over against 59,481 still due: 807 ÷ (807 + 59,481) = about 1.3% delivered.

Private societies took about 42 acres each. 1,879.53 acres ÷ 45 societies = about 41.8 acres per society of Scheme 45 land since 1985.

Sector 16's resettlement uses about 107 acres of plots. 6,500 families × 80 square yards = 520,000 square yards ÷ 4,840 = about 107 acres, or about 78% of the 137.74 acres earmarked.

Checklist before you pay

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Which Taiser Town sectors has MDA cleared of encroachment?

A. MDA reported clearing Sectors 84, 11, 85, 38, 77, 52 and 48 in June 2022, Sector 47 from 31 May 2022, Sector 11 (45 acres) in April 2019 and Sector 56 (16 acres) in July 2019.

Q2. Does a cleared sector mean my plot is safe?

A. No. It means MDA removed encroachers from parts of the sector. Confirm your plot's demarcation, possession order and vacancy on site.

Q3. How much land did MDA say was encroached?

A. In May 2022, MDA said it planned to retrieve 5,000 acres worth Rs1,200 billion from land grabbers.

Q4. What law does MDA use against encroachers?

A. The Sindh Public Property (Removal of Encroachment) Act 2010, which allows eviction after notice and punishes encroachers with up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine equal to the property's market value.

Q5. Will I get compensation if I bought from an encroacher?

A. No. The 2010 Act provides no compensation for evicted encroachers, and buyers from them have no better rights.

Q6. Why does encroachment keep returning?

A. Land that stays undeveloped and unoccupied for years is easy to retake. Sindh's chief secretary acknowledged in 2023 that encroachments on MDA land kept returning after operations.

Q7. Are any Taiser Town sectors set aside for resettlement?

A. Yes. Sector 16 was earmarked in December 2023 for about 6,500 families affected by nullah clearance, and land in Sectors 53 and 54 was used for Lyari Expressway resettlement.

This guide is for general information. Encroachment status changes quickly, and buyers should confirm every sector's status, possession order and demarcation directly with MDA, and get a lawyer's advice, before paying.

Sources

• Sindh High Court, C.P. No. D-6804 of 2021, order on MDA's schemes and land, March 2024
• Land Administration and Revenue Management Information System, Board of Revenue Sindh