Sindh

Anti-encroachment drive delayed

Operation being conducted to clear Karachi Circular Railway route of illegal construction

SHEHARYAR ALI March 07, 2017

The anti-encroachment drive aims to clear the KCR route of all illegal construction. PHOTO: NNI

KARACHI: The Sindh government failed to conduct its anti-encroachment drive on Monday.

Chief Minister House had earlier announced that an operation against the land mafia would be conducted. According to the announcement, the operation was supposed to be conducted behind Aladin Amusement Park in Gulistan-e-Jauhar to clear the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) track but was postponed till Tuesday (today).

At the start of January, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had directed Karachi commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan to hold a meeting with all the deputy commissioners and work out a plan to remove encroachments along the KCR route, however, no significant work has been done since then.

Anti-Encroachment: KCR to trample 4,000 houses

The total area of the KCR is 360 acres and 67 of those acres have been encroached upon.

According to a letter shared by District East's assistant commissioner for Gulshan-e-Iqbal Muhammad Arif Kalwar, an anti-encroachment drive was scheduled from March 6 to March 16, where land measuring 53.63 acres and comprising 289 plots of varying sizes was to be cleared, however, on the first day of the encroachment drive, when 96 plots of 240 square-yards were to be cleared, the drive was unexpectedly called off.

The letter was addressed to wing commanders of the Rangers, the District East DIG, Anti-Encroachment Cell, Board of Revenue and District East SSP office, requesting security cover.

Crackdown Planned: ‘Encroachments to be removed soon’

Kalwar said there was a delay in the availability law enforcement personnel and heavy machinery, therefore the drive was postponed till Tuesday (today). He added that the drive will be carried out sooner or later as per the directives of the higher authorities.

On the other hand, District East deputy commissioner Nadeem Abro told The Express Tribune that there was also a polio drive being conducted in the city on Monday, therefore most security personnel had been deployed there, thus they were not able to provide adequate security to the anti-encroachment team.