Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Sharjeel Inam Memon has busted a Shesha café, bulldozed 22 shops, a fitness club and a canteen established illegally in the Jamaluddin Afghani Park, in the jurisdiction of Bahadarabad police station and ordered suspension of the concerned official involved in issuing the No Objection Certificate (NOC) illegally.
The Jamaluddin Afghani Park is located at Shahrah-i-Quaideen, the jurisdiction of Bahadarabad police where land mafia had established a fitness club and a Shesha Café inside the park and 22 shops around the park. Sindh Local Government Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon raided the park and asked the owners of the Shesha Café and fitness club as to how they had occupied the park. They showed him NOC issued by the KMC. The minister ordered suspension of the concerned officer on the spot.
Taking notice of the business of selling lose petrol and filling gas cylinders in the residential area in the shops constructed around the park, Sharjeel Memon ordered the police to take canes of petrol and cylinders into possession and register cases against them. The police loaded the goods taken into possession into a truck and took away to the police station.
Meanwhile, the Minister ordered the KMC Anti-Encroachment Cell Senior Director, Bilal Manzar, to take all the 100 Shesha, tobacco and imported coal cubes into possession and register a case against them. It may be noted that the Sindh Assembly has already passed a bill against Shesha Cafés operating in the province. Talking to media persons, Sharjeel Memon said the former city government authorities had illegally allotted amenity plots meant for public parks and community centers. "All such illegal allotment on amenity plots would be cancelled and action would also be taken against involved officers," he assured.
Replying to a question, he said he had identified a building where 16 flats have been constructed on the government land. "I am giving warning to the residents of those flats to vacate voluntarily otherwise not only action would be taken against them (the residents) and the builder but the building would be bulldozed," he vowed and urged the media not to support land mafia.
Replying to another question, he said Sindh was the only province in the world where compensation was paid for vacating illegal possession of government lands. "We have given 75 percent compensation to affected people of Lyari Express Way and would pay further to the remaining 25 percent to complete the project," he lamented. He said the courts were giving stay orders to land mafia against the government. "This trend has strengthened and organized the land mafia who in connivance with vested interests playing havoc with amenity plots and government land," he said and urged the courts of law not to issue them stay orders. Sharjeel Memon was accompanied by KMC Administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, senior KMC officials, Anti-Encroachment Cell squad and heavy police contingent during the raid.