KMC demolishes illegal bungalows on Hill Park land

As many as 10 bungalows in the Kidney Hill Park in District East were demolished by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Friday.

KMC Director Anti-Encroachment Bashir Siddiqi had announced on Thursday that a massive anti-encroachment operation at bungalows constructed on the land of the Kidney Hill Park would be carried out on Friday in compliance with the directives of the Supreme Court. He had said the under-construction bungalows on the park’s land would be razed and the buildings that had been inhabited would be served with a 30-day notice.

Speaking on Friday, Siddiqi said the 10 bungalows that were demolished were either newly constructed or under construction. “None of those houses was inhabited,” he maintained and added that there were other five bungalows that had been constructed on the land of the park and their residents had been told to vacate the buildings in 30 days.

According to the KMC officer, five acres of the park’s land had been cleared of encroachments that included illegal walls, rooms, small animal farms, and small houses for security guards. The entire area of the Kidney Hill Park, he pointed out, was 62 acres. “The animal farms were spread around two to three acres of land,” he said.

A strong contingent of police force and staff of the KMC’s anti-encroachment department took part in the operation. A day earlier, the KMC carried out an anti-encroachment operation on Tariq Road and its surrounding areas. The corporation also razed some traffic police sub-stations that had been built on roads and footpaths. A bakery was demolished on Tariq Road that had blocked the entire street.