Authorities’ failure to remove encroachments irks SHC

Block 6, Gulistan-e-Jauhar

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the anti-encroachment department and the director land of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) to ensure removal of encroachment in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area.

The court was hearing the application of an allottee of land in Gulistan-e-Jauhar who submitted that the court had ordered removal of encroachment in Block 6 of the vicinity. However, he stated, the alleged contemnors, including the KDA director and the district east administrator, did not comply with the court’s orders.

The court had observed that the land grabbers who caused hindrance in implementation of the court orders shall be brought to book. The court had also directed the SSP concerned to provide protection to the applicant during the construction on the land.

The applicant submitted that land grabbers were again setting up encroachments in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 6 under the garb of their villages and police was not taking any action to stop them.

The court was informed that illegal construction was being raised on unallocated land despite the court’s direction for auctioning the unallocated land. It was submitted that superior courts had already ordered for handing over the possession of land to its real allottees; however, the encroachers had made permanent houses on their lands. 

KDA Director Jameel Baloch said officials of the anti corruption department had taken record pertaining to the Scheme 36, barring the KDA from complying with the court’s orders. The court summoned the director of the anti-corruption department who submitted that the land record had been returned after verification.

The court ordered the director anti-corruption to submit the record regarding encroachment of the land in Scheme 36.  The court also directed the DIG east to provide protection to the KDA director for carrying out removal of encroachment in the land as well as applicants who were raising construction on their land.

The court said the KDA and the Sindh Building Authority had become money making machines and nobody was taking action against the land grabbers who were raising construction on encroached government land.

The court also directed police and the Rangers to make efforts for recovery of applicant’s son, Siddique, who had gone missing from the airport area and submit a report.