SHC directs KMC and BoR to inspect Landhi cottage industry land

The Sindh High Court has directed a committee of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Board of Revenue (BoR) officials to inspect a piece of land in Landhi said to be allocated for cottage industry and submit a report on whether the land was meant for cottage industry and allocated by the KMC, BoR for the same purpose.

The direction came during the hearing of a petition of Nasreen Abu Nasar against an encroachment on the land in the Landhi Cottage Industrial Zone.

The petitioners counsel, Usman Farooq, submitted that they were allotted the land, but its possession was not being provided to them due to the encroachment and litigation with the revenue department. He submitted that the petitioners be allocated the same land as they had made complete payment to the KMC.

The KMC submitted that the BoR issued illegal permission to different individuals on the subject land, and as a result, it was not in position to demarcate the land. The KMC’s counsel, however, submitted that only partial payment had been made saying that he would file the receipt as proof.

A counsel for the BoR submitted that the KMC had failed to make payment of development charges within the stipulated time therefore the BoR cancelled the allocation and allocated the land for other purposes.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar took exception to non-compliance with its September 16 order and directed a KMC and BoR committee to inspect the subject land and submit a report on whether the land was meant for cottage industry and it was allocated by the KMC and BoR for the same purpose or in violation of such mandate.

In the meantime, the SHC ordered that the subject land be not occupied by anyone. The bench directed that its order be communicated to the chief secretary and observed that in case, the committee was not notified within a week, the chief secretary shall appear in person on the next hearing.

Lyari Expressway

The SHC directed the Sindh government to appoint a full-time project director of the Lyari Expressway Rehabilitation Project within 15 days

The direction came on a petition filed by residents of Musharraf Colony and others against encroachments of greenbelts and amenity areas in Baldia Town.

The high court was informed that Ali Anwar, local government regional director, had been posted as a project director for the rehabilitation project but he was not attending office in Karachi.

The high court directed the government to appoint a full-time project director and warned that in case the order was not followed, the local government secretary shall appear and explain the position.