Karachi after Partition did not have the vertical inclination that dominates its landscape today. Residential societies were the first to claim land and create housing colonies but they were mostly what were described in those days as bungalows.
PECHS, the abbreviation for Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society, was perhaps the first and most well-planned of these housing clusters but here too there were no skyscrapers only bungalows and the limit in most cases was ground plus one as dictated by the bye-laws of the society.The whole area of this society was practically a jungle dotted with small hillocks and you will not believe it but the going price in those days for a piece of this land especially for the federal government employees was just Rs3 per square yard.
Even at that price few had the cash available and either had to take a loan from their provident fund or somehow manage to buy it on installment. The purpose of revisiting this lifestyle is to compare the lifestyle and hazards of those now living in this jungle of skyscrapers with the serene and smooth living of the past and especially how human interactions have changed with the change in modes of residence.
When the high rises started to dominate our landscape they totally changed not only our lifestyle but our behaviors towards each other. Previously while living in a bungalow you had very little interaction as far as your day to day problems were concerned. The water shortage, other shortages of some essential utilities, late night noises that hinder your sleep and lack of general cleanliness did not exist.
Now in community living there is hardly anything you can do without the support and agreement of your neighbors and believe me that in a complex with 100 or more apartments there is no end to problems and also no end to the different points of view that thwart all solutions presented by those supposedly running the apartment complex popularly known as the residents committee. In most apartment complexes they are fully criticized but hardly if ever their advice is respected or acted upon without arguments or even outright rejection.
The Herculean task before each committee is to gather the monthly contribution of the residents. This goes towards the salaries of the employees like chowkidars, sweepers, etc., as well as payment against utilities like water and electricity. Very few residents pay their share each month in time without being dogged by the building chowkidars and playing a hide and seek with him. At times the negligence of a few results in the stoppage of water or some other utility for all but at times the defaulter is so powerful that nobody dares to confront him or her and ensure that the amount is paid.
A nightmarish situation arises when your neighbor decides he is fed up of the interior of his apartment and decides to uproot all tiles, etc., and install new ones in non-stop mind shattering noises that goes on at all times of the day and night. In western countries you cannot do this without consultation with your neighbors. I remember that while in Canada at a time when VCR had just gained popularity my friend in New York sent me five movies that I was very eager to watch. I arranged an evening for their viewing and as we enthusiastically watched with nearly full volume there was a knock on the door and when answered there were two policemen standing who politely told us that we were disturbing our neighbors and whether we can lower the volume of our TV, please. In another incident my friend was using his vacuum cleaner in his apartment in Ottawa when there was a knock and he found an officer of the local government on his doorstep who asked if he was using some electrical gadget. My friend informed him that he was using this vacuum cleaner and the officer took out his card, signed it and asked my friend to take it back to the shop from where he bought it because it is faulty and when he uses it there are disturbances on his TV’s screen. He did as was told and his vacuum cleaner was replaced without any argument by the shop.
Community living requires a lot of give-and take-and rules and regulations that are respected. Very few apartment buildings in Karachi have exemplary management and cooperation from residents. Maybe that should change to make community living a less stressful experience.
(The writer is a well-known columnist)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a well-known columnist
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