SHC directs KMC to file rejoinder on cattle colony fee collection auction

The Sindh High Court on Saturday directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to file a rejoinder in a matter pertaining to the auction of three contracts for collection of fees from cattle points in the city’s Cattle Colony and Aansoo Goth areas

The court had earlier ordered status quo on the same matter as the interim order had come on a petition filed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) against auction of three contracts for collection of fees from cattle sale point in areas that fall in Landhi.

The counsel for the District Municipal Corporation (DMC) said the DMC was authorised to hold auction for areas falling within its ambit and that the court’s interim order had been causing hardship for the DMC.

The DMC Malir submitted that it had acted in accordance with the rules by putting up for auction and the contracts for collections from different sale points while it had not usurped any functions and authorities of the KMC.

The KMC counsel, Sameer Ghazanfar, submitted in the petition that the Karachi mukhtarikar on February 1957 had leased out 752 acres of land to the KMC and since then the land was in possession of the KMC.

He said the local taxation director and the Malir District Municipal Corporation through an auction tried to open bids for three contracts for collection of fees from cattle sale points in Cattle Colony and Aansoo Goth areas. He contended that the action of respondents was violation of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013.

He said the Malir DMC had acted in excess of its jurisdiction by putting up for auction the contracts for collections from different sale points, which were the city corporation’s property. The lawyer said the power to auction the contracts rested exclusively with the KMC as per Item 4 of Part I of Schedule II of the Act.

Since the auction of contracts was not in accordance with the law, he said, the Malir DMC should be restrained from conducting the sale through auction which was being published in local newspapers.