Encroachment along Gujjar Nullah: SHC turns down plea to halt operation clean-up

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) Friday turned down a plea to halt the ongoing operation to remove the encroachment along Gujjar Nullah of Karachi. The plea was filed in SHC by a resident of Gulberg Town, seeking the court orders to halt this operation. A division bench of the high court directed the petitioner to satisfy the court about the maintainability of the petition and dismissed his plea to grant a stay order against the operation until this case is decided.

The petitioner stated before the bench that he has been residing in Gulberg Town's Tayyababad area for the past 50 years. He added he acquired the plot his house is built on from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on lease as per the laws.

He said the operation was launched three days back to clear all illegal dwellings along Gujjar Nullah with residents being asked through mosque loudspeakers to vacate illegally built houses. The petitioner pleaded with the high court to restrain the KMC from demolishing the leased houses.

Meanwhile, a division bench of SHC issued notices to federal & provincial governments as well as Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in a plea pertaining to constitution of a fact-finding commission on devastations caused by heavy rains at the last days of last month. Court also sought the reply from K-Electric (KE).

Sindh High Court ordered that replies should be furnished in three weeks a petition was filed in the court for constitution of fact-finding commission on destructions caused by rains in CBC and DHA areas.

Petitioner submitted that cantonment board didn't take the measures to drain out the rain water and pleaded the court to issue orders to convert cantonment boards into cooperative housing societies.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020