ETPB suspends Karachi officer after reclaimed land occupied again

ISLAMABAD: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has taken serious notice of the re-possession of land worth Rs100 crore that had been reclaimed during an earlier anti-encroachment operation in Sohrab Goth, Karachi.

Following the incident, the officer posted in Karachi has been suspended and transferred on the recommendation of FIA and directions of the One-Man Commission headed by Dr. Shoaib Suddle. According to an official statement, Karachi Rural and Hyderabad Deputy Administrator Shahid Ali has been immediately suspended and directed to report to the Inquiry Branch, Lahore. Meanwhile, Karachi Urban Assistant Administrator Israr Shah has been assigned the additional charge of Deputy Administrator Rural Karachi. Additionally, Rawalpindi Zone Administrator Tanveer Hussain has been given the additional charge of Karachi South and instructed to assume office immediately. He has been tasked with taking decisive action against illegal constructions and encroachments.

These administrative measures have reportedly caused a stir in the department, with insiders describing them as the beginning of a major clean-up drive against illegal occupations, encroachments and mismanagement within ETPB’s Karachi operations.

It is pertinent to mention that under the supervision of Secretary Board Farid Iqbal, the ETPB had earlier recovered land worth billions of rupees from illegal occupants in Sohrab Goth. However, due to failure of the local Karachi District Office to maintain control, the encroachers managed to reclaim possession of the property.