SHC seeks rehabilitation plan for affected people

The Sindh High Court directed the Sindh government, the Karachi commissioner and others to file a comprehensive report with regard to the rehabilitation plan if any prepared for the people affected by the ongoing anti-encroachment operation along the Gujjar and Orangi storm water drains.

Hearing a petition against the demolition of leased houses in the garb of an anti-encroachment drive along the drains, a division bench, headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, also directed the provincial law officer to tell the court whether the government had evolved any scheme/plan for the rehabilitation for affected people.

The petitioners submitted that they were residing in leased houses in Nazimabad and Orangi towns; however, the KMC and other authorities were trying to demolish their houses in the garb of a drive to clear the drains’ banks of illegal structures.

They submitted that the KMC and other relevant authorities had issued lease to them for the construction of houses, but KMC officials were misinterpreting the Supreme Court’s order and intend to demolish their houses in the garb of the order.

The petitioners’ counsel also referred to a letter issued by the KMC’s senior director of anti-encroachment about the cancellation of leases of plots coming in alignment of the Gujjar and Orangi drains’ project.

The counsel for the KMC said the matter with regard to the widening of the drains was pending before the Supreme Court. The court observed that it had already issued a detailed judgment in the matter of the Lyari Expressway wherein the matter of compensation for the affected people was decided.

The SHC directed the KMC and the Sindh government to file a comprehensive report with regard to the rehabilitation plan if any prepared for the affected people. It observed that in case of non-filing of comments, the chief secretary and the Karachi commissioner would be in attendance before the court on May 7.