Illegal occupation: Someone must keep an eye out for encroachments in Saddar at all times: SHC

DC South told to depute his assistant to monitor the neighbourhood

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Monday the district South deputy commissioner to depute his assistant to constantly monitor Saddar, a neighbourhood where encroachments crop up soon after a removal drive.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, issued this direction while hearing a petition seeking the removal of illegal encroachments from the busiest commercial locality of the metropolis. A civil rights campaigner, Rana Faizul Hasan, had taken the police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) authorities to court for failing to get the roads and streets in Saddar cleared of unlawful encroachments.

During one of the hearings, the petitioner had alleged that the SSP South and SHOs of the relevant police stations are extorting money from the encroachers to allow them illegally occupy the public spaces in the area.

On December 18, the two judges had ordered the SSP South to remove all encroachments from the public roads, streets and footpaths in the locality. Filing his compliance report, SSP Faisal Bashir Memon informed the judges that a drive was conducted to remove encroachments from the places, which were mentioned in the court order. He said 11 encroachers have been arrested and a number of cases are filed against them at the Preedy and Artillery Maidan police stations. The bench took the report on record.



KMC's anti-encroachment department director assured that he will continue monitoring the places to ensure they are not re-encroached and constant action is taken against those who have encroached the area.

SSP Memon said the relevant SHOs will also provide all necessary aid whenever requested by the KMC for anti-encroachment drives and added that 22 officers have been placed at the disposal of the corporation. But the police officer sought directions for the deputy commissioner to depute an assistant commissioner to monitor the area.

The bench directed the South DC to depute the assistant commissioner to monitor the area to ensure encroachments do not re-emerge in the Saddar locality and submit a compliance report by January 14, 2015.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2014.