SC orders inquiry into encroachment on housing society’s amenity land

The Supreme Court has directed the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency to conduct an inquiry into an encroachment on the amenity land of a 48-acre housing society in Gulshan-e-Maymar.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a petition application seeking action against the illegal encroachment on a public park in Al-Habib Cooperative Housing Society in KDA Scheme 33.

The court was informed by affected residents from the society that a former secretary of the society, Athar Alam, and his relative had allegedly encroached upon the park land, converted it into residential plots and sold them. They submitted that their plots were allotted to other persons and they were given alternate plots carved out of the amenity land.

Over a dozen people, including women, turned up and informed the bench that Alam, along with other office-bearers of the society, had encroached upon the park, illegally converted it into residential plots in 2011 and sold them to members of the public.

They further contended that Alam and others had also built warehouses on the amenity plot.

The administrator of the society submitted that the amenity plot was encroached upon and unlawfully converted into residential plots. He added that he approached the Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh in 2016 to take action, but to no avail.

The court directed the Karachi mayor to inspect the site and demolish the wherehouses if constructed illegally or on the amenity land. It directed the FIA DG to conduct a probe and submit a report within a month.

Blockade of road

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued notices to Sindh’s inspector general of police, the DIG Traffic and others on an application seeking the opening of a road at Bombay Market in Kharadar.

Mohammad Amin submitted in the application that the street in Bombay Market had been blocked by the police by placing barriers.

He submitted that he and other businessmen of the area were facing hardships due to the blockade of the road that leads to MA Jinnah Road from Kharadar.

He said that due to the blockade of the road was not only causing hardships to the people but also shopkeepers who had shops in the adjacent markets.

Also, the traffic flow was also affected, resulting in hours-long traffic jams in the area, he added.