Despite promises: Encroachments continue to deface Aligarh cooperative housing society

Govt blames insufficient machinery and force

KARACHI: The government has failed, despite court orders, to remove encroachments from the land of Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys' Cooperative Housing Society Ltd due to insufficient machinery and manpower.

The society was registered in 1968 and the land was acquired by graduates of Aligarh University and their families. The society is spread over 233 acres, and has 1,530 members.



According to the honourary secretary of the society, Naseem, different government agencies, including the anti-encroachment department of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the police, tried to take action on January 29 but failed, due to insufficient machinery and police force.

He said due to some VIP movement, a proper police force could not be brought in for the operation. "We have filed another contempt application in court and are waiting for the next date," he said, adding that the government was only delaying the issue.

Assistant commissioner of Gulzar-e-Hijri, Ishaq Dad, admitted the operation could not be carried out due to lack of personnel and machinery and assured that they will soon re-launch it.

By 2005, the society started getting encroached. However, due to a court order in 2010, two blocks, 9A1 and 9A2, were vacated from encroachers by law enforcement agencies but the remaining four blocks are still heavily encroached upon.

According to the December 23, 2014, court judgment, five weeks were again given to the authorities to vacate the encroachments.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.