Rs1m insufficient for construction on 80 sq yards, affected families tell SC

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday directed the Sindh chief secretary to submit a report with regard to cost of construction of 80-square-yard plots in the case pertaining to rehabilitation of the families affected by the demolitions along the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs.

During hearing the applications with regard to implementation of the court orders in the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs rehabilitation case, a two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar hearing the case at the SC Karachi Registry inquired a provincial law officer about the implementation of the court orders.

The law officer submitted that the government would provide 80-square-yard plots and more than Rs1 million amount for the purpose of construction to each of the affected families. A counsel for the affected families submitted that the amount announced by the government was insufficient for the purpose of the construction of a house.

The apex court observed that it had ordered the Pakistan Engineering Council to estimate the cost of the construction. The chief secretary submitted that the government would place the matter with regard to the cost of construction before the cabinet and sought time to file comments in this regard.

The SC directed the chief secretary to submit a report with regard to the cost of construction after taking estimate from the Pakistan Engineering Council by April 8.

It is pertinent to mention that the SC had earlier asked the affected families that were displaced due to the anti-encroachment operations along the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs to consider two new proposals by the Sindh government with regard to their rehabilitation.

The Sindh government had offered the 6,932 affectees to either collect an amount for the purchase of land and cost of construction as per the market value of the land from where they were dispossessed or take an 80-square-yard plot in the Malir Development Authority along with funds for construction in accordance with standards set out by the Pakistan Engineering Council.

A non-governmental organisation and affected people of Gujjar and Orangi nullahs had moved the apex court against the failure of the provincial government to comply with an earlier order for providing them suitable compensation as their houses had been razed during operations to widen the two drains

They had filed a contempt-of-court application against then chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah submitting that the SC had clearly directed the provincial government to rehabilitate and compensate the affected people within two years.

Their counsel Faisal Siddiqui said the CM had undertaken before the apex court that a scheme titled ‘Resettlement of Affectees of Gujjar, Mehmoodabad and Orangi Nullah’ would be executed by the government at an estimated cost of Rs10 billion and the project would be completed in all respects within a maximum period of two years. He submitted that none of the directions of the court had been complied with by the alleged contemnor.