SC orders continuing anti-encroachment drive in Karachi

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi Development Authority and other civic authorities to continue the anti-encroachment drive in the city without interruption and immediately remove encroachments from the route of the Karachi Circular Railway.

The direction came in a meeting chaired by senior judge of Supreme Court Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the SC Karachi Registry to review the implementation of the court orders about the removal of encroachments. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Director General Sami Siddiqui and Municipal Commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman.

During the meeting, the KDA officials submitted a report on the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, besides presenting past maps and pictures of the city to the acting chief justice.

The acting CJP observed that encroachments and illegal occupation on amenity plots will not be tolerated and directed the KMC, KDA and other civic authorities to continue the drive uninterrupted and restore the city's amenity plots including parks and lakes.

Justice Gulzar observed he wanted to see what action was taken against the land mafia and Karachi should be seen as clean and green as it was in the past. Justice Gulzar also ordered railways officials to immediately remove all encroachments from the route of the Karachi Circular Railway.

The railways officials said they will ensure the removal of all encroachments. Giving details of the encroachment operation, the DG KDA submitted that 5,485 amenity land including green belts, parking areas and roads were recovered from encroachments. The SC had on November 28 had directed the Karachi Development Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to remove over 35,000 illegal encroachments and constructions from 112 sites in the city.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting about establishment of forensic lab, the acting CJP took exception over delay in the establishment of such a facility and directed the Sindh government to expedite the process of setting it up within two weeks. Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that the court had ordered the establishment of a forensic lab but nothing was done so far.

The officials of the Sindh government said the issue was pending with the government for the release of funds but now the funds have been released and a forensic lab would be made functional soon.