Steel Town, Karachi, Pakistan (اسٹیل ٹاؤن) - Part 1

STEEL TOWN (اسٹیل ٹاؤن)
Residential Area in Sindh, Pakistan

Steel Town is an 8,126-acre (3,288 ha) suburb housing employees of Pakistan Steel Mills, with subsidised rents for essential employees. It is located along the N-5 National Highway that stretches from Karachi to Thatta eastwards and then northwards all the way to FATA. Steel Town is in district Malir, about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Karachi Airport and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Karachi Port.

The neighbouring areas include Pipri, Shah Town, and Gulshan-e-Hadeed.


TOWN PLANNING
Steel Town was built by Pakistan Steel Mills in collaboration with Soviet Russian steel industrialists in the 1970s. The town is organized in blocks named after their aerial representation. For example, the L Block is in the shape of L as seen from a satellite. Upon entering and heading west approaching the 90-degree bend along T park (Triangle Shape) bordered with coconut trees, comes the lighted up yet protected directors' houses and chairman house. They are surrounded by several 100 yards of trees and trench-like drainage and spillway along the east of the circular road, followed by the green belt and multi-story guest house and officer's mess to the west side. Behind which, protected and further to the west along the boundary are the age-old City Cliff School (upscale) and Mashal School (economic) along with some T blocks (3 story / 18 unit apartments) designated for Russian employees.

Continuing along the circular road comes the Russian Market, a semi-circle-shaped center market with all kinds of shops, from stationary and garments to dispensaries, groceries, and fast food. The only place for kids to enjoy a dip when it rains (depression area), as the entire town was secured by a central drainage system that was built to last, and water never stood. Moving along comes the Bank designated area, L and T block to the west all the way to border, including a Beaconhouse School utilizing a T block building. As the circular road turns eastwards, the street going straight leads to Madr-e-Millat Girls College (named after the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and Pakistan Steel Cadet College (Boys only). Attached to the rear of which is the Grand Mosque connecting the college to P block apartments, bhangi paara (cleaner's community), and water tank.

Tracing back to circular road heading eastwards is surrounded on each side by designated mid to senior officers' bungalows. To the left, behind bungalows, is an entrance to hockey and soccer grounds, basketball courts, an abandoned swimming pool, and the cricket stadium surrounded by a stone mound. Further behind the stadium is a small lake, traditionally a favorite spot for Russians to go fishing on weekends. Further behind used to be a famous mound and an open ground used by parents to teach driving to their kids. Even further north were bushes, wild animals like boars, and hidden lakes ventured by few and later cleaned away for development.


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