‘Illegal’ construction on KU land to be inspected

Varsity management had gone to court, seeking demolition

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has appointed its Nazir as the commissioner to inspect the alleged private constructions illegally being raised on land belonging to the Karachi University (KU).

Headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, the division bench also asked the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation administrator to explain how the now-defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA) could allot the varsity’s land before its own existence.

The university management had approached the high court to seek the demolition of the alleged illegal constructions on its land.

According to Asif Mukhtar, the deputy registrar for legal affairs, the university was allotted 7.24 acres in 1954, before the establishment of the KDA. He alleged that Kamal Akhtar had raised partial domestic constructions on the varsity’s land, claiming that it had been allotted to her by the KDA.

Mukhtar said that the respondent had also obtained a stay order from the court and pleaded the court suspend the interim order with further directions to demolish the illegal constructions.

The bench appointed the SHC Nazir to inspect the illegal construction and directed  him to submit a report within a month.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2015.