KMC starts demolishing houses to clear banks of Gujjar Nullaha

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) started removing hard encroachments from the banks of the massive Gujjar Nullah on Thursday. Anti-Encroachment Senior Director Bashir Siddiqui said that all illegal houses and commercial units will be removed during the operation.

He said that in the first phase of the operation, the KMC had removed soft encroachments such as cabins, tea shops, iron rods and grills, sheds, animal dens, kiosks and shanties. Over 100 feet of space was cleared after the removal of soft encroachments surrounding the storm water drain.

Meanwhile, an anti-encroachment tribunal on Monday restrained the municipal body of the city for two weeks from demolishing the houses that are built on duly leased land. Responding to this, Siddiqui said that the Supreme Court has tasked them with clearing the nullah and returning it to its original shape, so when the superior court issues an order, the KMC will have to abide by it, adding that this answer has also been submitted to the tribunal.

The Gujjar Nullah is a natural drain of the city that starts in New Karachi and ends at the Chuna Depot in Haji Mureed Goth, where it falls into the Lyari River. The original length of the storm water drain was 13 kilometres and the width 210 feet.

A heavy contingent of male and female police officials was also present on the occasion to ensure law and order. Heavy machinery was used to demolish concrete houses. However, pointed out Siddiqui, machines were avoided in cases where there was a danger of massive damage. He explained that houses are attached to each other in a way that if they start using heavy machinery, even legal houses can end up being demolished.

The operation started on Thursday at Zero Point in Sector 11-L of North Karachi, the same point from where the KMC had started removing soft encroachments. Siddiqui said that an area of more than half a kilometre was cleared of hard encroachments on the first day of the operation’s second phase.

“We kept the speed slow because it was the first day and several people were still in the process of vacating their houses and getting them demolished themselves,” he said, adding that no law and order situation had emerged. He said that they will clear some four kilometres towards Shafiq Morr on Friday (today).

KMC Administrator Laeeq Ahmed said that cheques of Rs90,000 each will be given to the affected families. The amount, according to him, is for six months’ rent.

On Wednesday cheques had been distributed among 20 families. People whose houses suffer 30 per cent or more damages will be compensated as well. The operation is expected to continue for over two months.

The KMC has been tasked with widening the storm water drain to its original shape and width, along with the construction of a 30-foot-wide road on both sides of the nullah, due to which scores of Katchi Abadis will have to be razed. According to Siddiqui, around 4,000 houses and commercial units surrounding the drain will be demolished.

In 2018, the then mayor Wasim Akhtar had held the ground-breaking for a project called ‘Revamping of Gujjar Nullah Including Service Road’ at a cost of Rs12.5 billion. The project fell victim to a lack of funds and ill-planning, as there was no plan to relocate the settlements.