Illegal occupation of public parks: Supreme Court gives one-month to CDGK for recovering

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday gave one-month time to Karachi city government for recovering public parks, illegally occupied by the land mafia while the petitioner was also asked to help the authority in this regard.
A four-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry comprising Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday was hearing a petition, filed by former Karachi Nazim Nematullah Khan, pleading the court to recover amenity plots and parks illegally occupied by land mafia and political parties in the city.
The bench directed the city government to remove all the encroachments including illegal constructions in different public parks and asked the petitioner to file separate petition if he wants to abolish any other encroachment in the city. The counsel for Karachi city government Dr Farrukh Naseem submitted progress report to the court regarding abolishment of illegal possession of public parks by land mafia and argued that not only high-rise building had been constructed in the public parks of Karachi but also schools, mosques and Imam bargah had also been built in parks.
He said that if the government ordered to remove these buildings illegally built on public parks, riots will be started in the city. He admitted that land and drug mafias are involved in illegal possession of state lands. Justice Chaudhry asked the counsel to read out the apex court judgment on F-9 Park and directed that all illegal buildings, constructed in public parks must be demolished. It is a very sensitive issue and former Nazim Karachi Nematullah Khan should co-operate with local government, the bench noted.
This is pertinent to note that Nematullah Khan, in his petition has contended that political parties have set up their offices on 127 amenity plots and parcelled out another 35 plots and some parkland for residential and commercial purposes during the past four years.
"It is so unfortunate that the city of Karachi has been divided on the basis of political affiliation and elected representatives are playing havoc by patronising the occupation and disposal of public properties," the petition said. The petitioner said that one of the biggest reasons behind the deteriorating law and order in Karachi was the illegal possession of public land and its disposal in a manner that suits the land grabbers and mafia operating in the city.
He also requested the court to direct the relevant authorities to get back the possession of these public land and amenity plots from the occupants and ordered penal action against land grabbers, to remove the structures and installations from there and to restore them to the same conditions as they existed before such occupation, possession or control. The court adjourned the hearing till March 7.