Illegal occupation: District Central to submit details on nine amenity plots in North Nazimabad

SHC tells food franchise located on roundabout to justify its presence

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Wednesday the administrator of district Central to submit a detailed report on the nine amenity plots that have been illegally encroached upon in North Nazimabad and other localities.

A division bench, comprising Justices Sajjad Ali Shah and Shaukat Ali Memon, also ordered the administrator of the district municipal corporation to justify the allotment of the greenbelt to establish an outlet of a food franchise.



The proceedings on the illegal allotment of the amenity plots have been initiated by a social welfare organisation, Pasban, whose president, Syed Ashraf Hussain, claimed that the deputy controller of the Sindh Building Control Authority had allotted a piece of greenbelt to MCR for five years to set up a Pizza Hut outlet at AO Clock Tower Chowrangi.

The nine plots in various blocks of North Nazimabad have also been usurped by private individuals or have been allotted by officials for commercial purposes, he claimed. He presented a list, which showed that a 2,000-square-yard amenity plot, number ST-9/8, near Hasrat Mohani Library is under illegal occupation, among others. He pleaded the court direct the local government secretary, the Karachi Metropolitan Corportation administrator, the Sindh Building Control Authority and others to retrieve these amenity plots from the occupants.

During Wednesday's proceedings, Advocate Omair Qazi appeared for Pizza Hut and requested for time to file their comments and justify the presence of the eatery's outlet.

The bench directed District Central administrator Syed Kamal Ahmed Siddiqui, who appeared on the court's notice, to produce the master plan of the area and justify the franchise's presence. He was also asked to file a detailed response on the nine amenity plots that are allegedly illegally encroached upon.

Adjourning the hearing till December 17, the judges cautioned that no further time will be granted to the DMC administrator or to the franchise.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2014.