‘Armed men illegally occupy KMC’s land at Gutter Baghicha’

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar has appealed to the high authorities to take action against armed men who have illegally occupied land at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Gutter Baghicha (sewerage farm).

He has asked the relevant department to convey the matter to the Karachi commissioner, the DG Rangers, the Sindh IG and the Supreme Court Karachi Registry immediately.

“Around 1,017 acres land of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation at its sewerage farm has been illegally occupied by the land mafia,” he said in a press statement issued by the KMC on Tuesday.

Expressing concerns “over the silence of police and the district administration” following the incident of land grabbing, the mayor said the KMC was taking action against encroachments all over the city under the directive of the Supreme Court, while the land mafia was up against their own land worth billions of rupees.

He said this while chairing a meeting of officers in his office which was also attended by KMC Officers Housing Society chairman Mazhar Khan and anti-encroachments senior director Bashir Siddiqui.

“This land was allotted to the KMC in 1860 under the approval of the Viceroy of India,” the mayor said. In the meeting, the anti-encroachments senior director briefed the mayor about land grabbers occupying land at the KMC Officers Housing Society.

He said this land was owned by the KMC and 200 acres of it were allocated for the KMC Officers Housing Society and another 162 acres for a park in 1992. However, he added, the matter was delayed owing to a case filed by some NGOs in the court.

“The land mafia suddenly started grabbing land in the area with the help of armed persons and no one stopped them from doing this,” he said. The mayor directed the officers to convey the matter to the high-ups. He said no one would be allowed to grab the government land and all necessary measures would be taken to secure the KMC land.