The Sindh High Court has directed the Sindh Building Control Authority to ensure that amenity plots in Quetta Town Cooperative Housing Society are not put to any other use other than reserved in terms of the layout plan subject to the proceedings and outcome of the civil proceedings.
The direction came on a petition of a housing society’s residents against encroachments on amenity plots of the society reserved for playgrounds and educational centers. The petitioners’ counsel submitted that five amenity plots in the society have been reserved for playgrounds, educational centre, park and Masjid as per the layout plan.
They submitted that private respondents have constructed sheds on the land and parked their vehicles as showroom and the amenity plots are being misused for commercial purposes. The SBCA deputy director East submitted its report saying that the layout plan of the housing society has been suspended; however, in the previous layout plan, the amenity plots were reserved for playgrounds, a park, an educational center and a mosque. The official said the site revealed that vehicles’ showroom/parking in the shape of sheds have been constructed on all plots.
The SBCA official said that since it is a matter of encroachments; therefore, the anti-encroachment force of the board of revenue be directed to take action as per the law to remove the encroachments and restore the original status of the land.
The counsel for a private respondent submitted that a civil suit has been filed by his client in respect of status of the land and same is pending before the civil court West with regard to the conversion of the plots.
The counsel however submitted that no interim orders are operating so as to preclude action on part of the official respondents. An SHC division bench, headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, after hearing the arguments of the counsel, directed the SBCA to ensure that amenity plots in Quetta Town Cooperative Housing Society are not put to any other use other than reserved in terms of the layout plan subject to the proceedings and outcome of the civil proceedings.