KWSB restrained from carrying out K-IV project work on private land

Original route of pipeline changed to protect land of influential persons, allege petitioners

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Wednesday the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and other authorities from carrying out any work under the K-IV water supply project on six acres of private land.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, also turned down a request by the KWSB authorities to cancel its earlier stay against work on the mega scheme on a portion of private land. Instead, the court told the board to produce map of the scheme.

A group of residents had taken the KWSB and other authorities concerned to court alleging that the authorities unlawfully launched the project on their land after changing the original route of the K-IV water pipeline in order to protect the land of influential persons.



The petitioners informed the SHC that they had been living on the land - six acres - for many years. However, all of a sudden the authorities started work on their land. The petitioners claimed that their land was invaded because the original route of the scheme was changed to save the land of some influential persons.

They alleged that the authorities were not even paying them compensation against the acquisition of their land. The court was pleaded to suspend the official notification regarding change of the K-IV project's route and acquisition of the land of the petitioners.

During the hearing, the KWSB officials moved an application requesting the court to recall its stay order, which was granted earlier on another petition in respect to 16 acres of land, restraining the board from carrying out work on that land.



The judges were informed that the project will not be completed within the stipulated period of time due to the court's stay order.

Justice Khan remarked that the authorities would have better taken this fact into consideration when they were changing the original route, as alleged by the petitioners.

Turning down the board's request, the judges directed the KWSB law officer to submit the original map of the project in the next hearing. In the meantime, the court also restrained the authorities from carrying out any activity as part of the project on the six acres of the land involved in the matter till further orders.