KMC told to explain increase in bachat bazaar charges

Karachi
The Sindh High Court issued notices to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and others on a petition against an increase in occupancy charges for bachat bazaars in the city.
The organisers of bachat bazaars moved the court against the increase of occupancy charges from Rs3 per square foot to Rs25 per square foot.
The petitioners submitted that they were organising bachat bazaars at 91 points in the city and paying occupancy charges Rs3 per square foot.
Their counsel said the KMC through a resolution increased the occupancy charges, and contended that the increase was illegal.
He said a demand notice was demanded retrospectively from year 2014. He submitted that the petitioners had already paid the occupancy charges till December 2014 and willing to pay till June 2015 before the Nazir of the court as the KMC had refused the request of the petitioners.
A division bench, headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, issued notices to the KMC and others for April 10 and in the meantime restrained the KMC from taking any coercive action against the petitioners’ association.
The court also directed the petitioners to submit the occupancy charges at the rate of Rs3 till June 2015.