Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday ordered Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) to submit a detailed reply in a petition, seeking to restrain the civic body to demolish shops in Lea Market area of metropolis. A division bench of SHC headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi issued the order in a petition of Anjuman-e-Falah-o-Behbood filed through Irfan Bhutta Advocate. Court issued notice to KMC to submit its reply on December 19, 2018.
The Anjumen, consisted of over 170 shopkeepers submitted in the court that shopkeepers were legally allowed by the KMC to construct their shops on their own expenses and are paying regularly monthly rent to the KMC. Petition stated that City District Government Karachi (CDGK) had allowed allottees to change the trade from vegetable stalls to general shops and were allowed to construct their shops as per approved plan under the supervision of Engineering Department, CDGK.
It said that allottees are the bona fide tenants of CDGK and are not the encroachers and contended that heir case is different from that of the encroachment in the city which is being removed by the KMC as they are legally occupying the shops and need protection against demolish of their shops.
It submitted that shopkeepers are poor people and most of them are second generation of the original allottees/tenant and occupying the place since 1972. During this period several agreements were made by KMC with allottees / tenants, it added.
Petitioner prayed the court to order KMC not to demolish the shops, which have been constructed by them with their own expenses with permission of KMC and they are tenants of KMC. On the plea of the shopkeepers, division bench issued notice to KMC to come up with their detailed reply on demolition of shops in Lea Market on December 19, 2018.
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